


Turn Off The Lights

by dirksnipples



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Angst, Burning, Child Abuse, Communication, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Henry is a better father than William will ever be, Hitting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jeremy and Mike’s relationship is healthy and they communicate, Jeremy doesn’t understand that he’s crushing on Mike at first, Jeremy is a stuttering and shy teen that’s very good at romance, Jeremy wants to give the world to Michael, M/M, Manipulation, Self-Hatred, So like they are both just kinda figuring out sex a bit, Toxic Behavior, William is an asshole, Yelling, basically he has a way with words, but like Jeremy ends up like just dominating the situation because Michael is too adorable to him, henry being the worlds best dad, it’s not all there and it’s more implied than not, michael blushing and unable to function, michael just wants everyone to be happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:07:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28565886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirksnipples/pseuds/dirksnipples
Summary: “What the actual fuck is wrong with you?” Michael seethes at the blond, almost ready to smack the other teen for being a complete idiot. “Are you just stupid, or do you have a thing for killers?”Jeremy hummed. Michael wanted to bash his own head against a brick wall. “Well, both it seems!”Yep. He was going to bash his own head against a brick wall, until he could stop hearing the blond be so fucking stupid.
Relationships: Michael Afton & Henry Emily, Michael Afton & Jeremy Fitzgerald, Michael Afton/Jeremy Fitzgerald
Comments: 50
Kudos: 113





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a thing. Rather typical beginning, sorry not sorry. Not exactly accurate to the official story, but I had fun writing it. Gonna be a short story.   
> Stole the name Mari from Mable’s series ‘Home’
> 
> Trigger warnings:  
> -Burning  
> -Yelling  
> -Self hatred  
> -Murder

The slam of the front door is what set the events of the future in stone. 

Their parents had been yelling for a while, when it suddenly stopped. The air felt cold around them, the silence almost deafening. He swore he could hear maggots buzzing in his head. Like they would consume him, like he was rotting from the inside out, like-

“M-Mikey?”

Michael looked down at the small hand that tugged on his ragged tank. His eyes trailed to the hand connected to the arm that was connected to his little sister. She had their youngest brother in her other arm, seeming to hold him tightly. No doubt the yelling had woken them up. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He brought a hand up to place on her head, ruffling it a bit. The pain in his chest managed to subside ever so slightly from the smile that graced her lips. “Let’s go back to bed, Lizzie.” He spoke softly, grabbing her hand and leading her back some the hallway to her room. She easily let him tuck her in, kissing her head, before taking their younger brother, and putting him back into his crib. Once he situated the now sleeping child, he wiped his cheeks clean of tears, covering the child with a blanket, tucking him in loosely. He pet his cheek lightly with his finger, only to stiffen as his father walked in. 

He suddenly hated the idea of Mari being in the same room as their dad right now. 

He could see the fire burning in his blue eyes. His tousled hair, his red face. He watched his father shake with anger, opening his mouth to snap at Michael, only to deflate. Michael watched, swallowed nervously at the sudden action. “Go back to bed, Michael.” Was all that escaped his father’s lips. In fact, the man didn’t even wait for Mike to leave, and began to undress, simply buttoning his nightshirt, before locating his matching pants. 

“F-Father,” Mike began, hating the small stutter. His father simply waved him off. 

“Not right now. Please, go back to bed. Marion will be fine, I promise.” The male stated, simply sliding underneath the covers, already closing his eyes. 

Mike bit the inside of his lips hard enough to split, blood trickling into his mouth at a slow pace. He swallowed down the copper taste, noting the sting that was left behind. He simply padded out of the room, right back into his own. He crawled into bed, chest heavy, heart feeling like it stuttered. He knew exactly what happened, but he wished he didn’t. If only he kept his mouth shut. He should have just kept quiet, why didn’t he keep quiet? He swallowed, pain shooting through his stinging throat. He forced his eyes closed, trying desperately not to think about it, don’t think about it.

Everything would be fine. His mother always came back, she just needed to cool off, father would cool off, and then they’d make up like always. 

Tomorrow is another day.

—————

_Six years later_

Michael picked up the picture frame. He felt sadness overcome him immediately. His throat tightened up staring at the beautiful woman in the picture. Her beautiful green eyes, her warm smile. Mike misses her so much. Just the way he could imagine his mom standing in the kitchen, making a nice plate of pancakes for him and his siblings, was enough to make tears trickle down his cheeks. He can still remember her voice, her gentle touch, and her hair always in a constant state of messiness. Yet, no matter how messy, she still looked well put together. Like it should always be like that. He couldn’t imagine her light locks being straight like Lizzie’s. It felt unnatural. 

Everything still felt surreal. 

The night their mother walked out…

Did she forget about him? She had promised Michael that she would always be around...he hasn’t seen her in several years...

He could hear shuffling towards his father’s bedroom. It was enough to force the frame back down, and he scrambled into the kitchen, already digging out stuff for eggs. As long as he had the eggs cooking, he would be safe. As long as he could get the bacon out and sit on the counter, he’d be let off for the day all together. He just managed to crack the last egg into the pan as his father rounded the corner. One look at him gritting his teeth, looking away. He forced himself to focus on the cooking eggs in the pan. The way they sizzled and popped, the way they began to bekon him with the smallest of smells. 

“Overslept again?” Came his father's voice. Deep, yet gentle. How can someone sound so gentle, yet be so full of malice? 

He wanted to deny it. Say that no, he did wake up, but he was too stuck in the past to continue, but if he mentioned her he would get punished. 

“...Yes sir.” He said instead. No matter his answer, it would be the same in the end, but maybe he could appease him. 

He listened to the man hum, before reaching into the cabinet for a mug. He could do this. This wasn’t going so bad, normally he would be punished by now. He could appease his father, all he had to do was wait for an opening. 

No. He can’t appease his dad. 

He was flipping the eggs in the pan just as his dad slammed the mug on the counter. Mike knew exactly what he forgot to do. He always starts his father’s coffee pot in the morning. No matter how stuck or laggy he was, he remembered it. It was the one thing that has helped him out of so many terrible situations. Michael’s hands trembled, and he barely registered his father taking the spatula out of his hand, setting it aside. He couldn’t comprehend the pan being moved, or the way his father turned him around. He didn’t hear any of the words spilling past those thin lips, nor the anger on the man’s face. Instead, all he could hear was an intense ringing in his ears. He could feel his brain forcing a headache, his chest aching, and his hands shook. His heart began to stutter, and he could feel bile wanting to come out, making his stomach sour. And just as quick as this was all there, it vanished. Everything morphed into pain. The way his forearm stung, the way the flames danced along his skin, burning it in its wake, the screech that finally came out. It sounded so distant, yet he knew he was screaming. He grabbed a hold of the stove, burning the fingertips of his other hand in the process, trying desperately to move away. He wasn’t strong enough. He wasn’t able to get away, he just wanted to get away!

But he couldn’t. He was only able to when he heard small foot patters on the floor, making their way into the kitchen, was he able to get away. He found his little sister, standing there. Wondering why her brother had screamed so loud, and Mike wanted to yell to her that their own father did it. That dad is the reason that he needs help, but he knew it was fruitless. 

His arm shook, throbbing. The skin from his burn was white, lifted, and pain shot up and down his arm. It throbbed so badly, that he could almost feel the smallest of tickles. The air hurt, and he was terrified of more potential pain if the skin tore. 

“Everything’s alright Elizabeth. Your brother hurt himself, he’s alright.” Their father simply spoke, hand on his shoulder. Michael didn’t know exactly what he said, but he knew it was along the lines of him being fine. 

He easily escaped into the bathroom, ready to do what he could to stop the stinging ache. His arm shivered as he cradled it, marching right into the bathroom, walking right past Marion, who seemed fearful at the whole ordeal. Michael payed him no mind, simply pushing the door open with his shoulder, and closing it behind himself, not wanting anyone to see him cry. The moment the door clicked, tears poured from his eyes. He grit his teeth hard, trying desperately not to cry out. If his father heard him, the punishment could be worse, so much worse. 

His brain was a jumbled mess, and he didn’t know what to do, suddenly. His deep blue eyes immediately looked to the sink, before turning on the cold tap, and slowing down the stream to a gentle trickle, so that it wouldn’t hurt. He let his burn slide under the water, and relief washed over him. He sniffled, enjoying the pleasant sensation for a moment, before using his free arm to trifle through the medicine cabinet. He managed to find some burn gel, along with some bandages and gauze. Once he managed to gain enough confidence, he pulled his arm out from under the water, wincing at the painful burning throb, and patted it dry lightly. He then proceeded to apply the gel and then apply the bandages to the best of his ability. The medicine helped decrease the burning pain, and he let out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall of the bathroom. 

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He did this a few more times, proceeding to then clean his face. After he deemed himself suitable, he walked back down towards the kitchen, his siblings sitting at the table, simply waiting. Michael hunched his shoulders at this response. He quickly made his way back to the stove, resuming to make breakfast. His father simply ignored him, drinking his coffee quietly while he read through the newspaper. Michael felt a sense of anger wash over him. He wanted to lash out, yell, but he remained quiet. He could hear small sniffles and huffs come from Mari, but he simply ignored it. He let himself continue his daily task. 

He didn’t bother to eat with them. Nor did he bother to acknowledge their father praising his siblings. Not like they were treated much better than him, but at least they got some form of praise. His sister didn’t have to deal with many of the things he did, but if not being acknowledged for small efforts was anything…

If she wanted to impress their father, then she couldn’t perform measly. She had to do something big, something worth talking about to get that acknowledgment. Part of the reason why she was the favorite. She was desperate to try and get that praise as much as she could. Marion...Marion was ignored by father. It was like he was a ghost to the man, but Mari didn’t seem to have a problem with that. The only time he was noticed was mostly when Michael was compared to him, and how he was more responsible than his older brother for paying attention. Anything to make Michael sink lower, their father did. 

“Welcome back.” Their father duly stated, sipping his coffee. 

Michael pursed his lips. He looked away, numbly making plates, and setting them out for his siblings and father. He slowly made his own, sitting down between Marion and his father. The silence in the air hung and felt heavy, and sitting there made everything worse. He hates days like this. 

“You will all be staying at Henry’s tonight.” His father suddenly announced, causing Michael to quirk a brow. His father sipped at his coffee more. They weren’t aloud to ask _why_ they would be at the Emily’s. Sometimes, their father would just force them to go, regardless if they wanted to or not. Nevertheless, he could already see the excitement on Lizzie’s face, at the thought of seeing Charlie. Mari looked dull as usual, but the smallest quirk of his lips could be seen. Sometimes, he wishes that he could slap those smiles right off of their faces. There’s nothing exciting about staying with Henry. Not even the fact that they got away from whatever it is their father did. He doesn’t like how _happy_ the family is. Even with a deceased wife, Henry somehow managed to be so happy-go -lucky. It reminded Michael of when both him and his father had to perform on the springlock suits. Of course, this memory feels more sour than nice. That’s when his mother didn’t randomly abandon him. When his father was actually happy to see him. The soft fur of Springbonnie engulfing him feels vivid to him still. It always felt comfortable when his father would hug him in the suit. Even going as far as to make him giggle in his cringy happy voice that he would do to make the kids excited. 

Michael forces the memory away, wanting it to burn deep in the depths of his mind. Things would never be like that anymore. No use holding onto them. 

He wants to smile, but he can’t. He wants to tell himself that Henry will be excited to see him, but he can’t. Even when the older man is genuinely happy to see him, Michael’s brain always finds a way to say that it’s fake. No one is happy to have him in their life. He’s a burden. 

He cleans up breakfast, trying hard not to hiss at the pain along his forearm. 

—————

School is just as boring. His few friends make it worth it. He has homework, but he knows that since it’s Friday, he won’t bother doing it until the last minute. Instead, he trudges along the sidewalk to Henry’s car, already hearing Elizabeth laughing at something that Charlie had said. He can see Sammy peeking up from behind their seats, watching the two girls excitedly, before whispering something to his brother. He suddenly feels so much more exhausted with all of the younger children in the car. He gets in the front seat, shrinking down, and sighing heavily. “How was school?” Henry asks warmly, ruffling his hair. He wants to slap the man’s hand away, but he stops himself. 

“Fine. Just hung out with my friends mostly.” He admits, though isn’t quite sure what to say. His father never asks him how his day is. 

“The bunch that wear the masks when you go to the diner?” 

And suddenly Michael feels a little bit shocked at the fact that he even paid that close of attention to him. “Yeah.” He says, glancing at Henry. The older male hums, tapping his steering wheel. 

“Wonderful.” Is all he says, and Michael becomes oddly aware of how unsure about teenagers that Henry is. Maybe it’s because his own kids aren’t quite old enough yet, but Michael knows how awkward it is talking to him. Kids his age, just...well not many talk. He’s just not that into conversing. 

Michael lets out a puff of air. “Yeah.” He repeats, sinking more into his seat. He may be 15, but he feels like he’s 80. Has being a teenager ever been this exhausting before? He doesn’t remember always being this tired. He feels like he could fall asleep any minute, but he forces himself awake. It’s just another day in paradise. 

_Tomorrow is another day_

—————

_’This is getting old.’_

Michael let out a sigh, watching his little sister play...actually, he really didn’t know just what Elizabeth was playing. She had a paper version of Freddy’s top hat that she had gotten when they had to visit the new diner that their father and Uncle Henry had just recently opened about 4 months ago. She wanted stuff from the prize corner, so he had done his best to wrack up a bunch of tickets for her. He offered some to his brother, but the boy seemed content without it. Said he preferred Fredbear’s, to which Michael had snorted, playfully shoving him lightly and agreeing. 

He watched as Lizzie tossed...was that candy? She tossed candy at a bunch of the kids, and laughed as they swarmed the pile. Michael rolled his eyes, simply looking away. His eyes caught onto his little brother, who was sniffing. Mike didn’t exactly know just why he was crying right now, him and his friends weren’t bullying him currently. In fact, they were all at home. He wondered if it was something more. Of course the thought was easily interrupted as their father came by, simply patting the boy’s back. Annoyance filled up inside of Michael. He didn’t understand why his siblings were treated better than him. What did they do so different that he didn’t already do? Just watching his father ruffle Mari’s hair made him _’tsk’_ in annoyance. 

He found himself immediately getting up from his seat as soon as their father was out of sight. He marched right up to the boy. He grabbed a hold of his plush, holding it high in the air. The way Mari scrambled for it sent excitement coursing through him. He continued this for a little too long, earning a hand on his shoulder. Fear grappled at him instantly, making his blood run cold. He expected to find his father. He knew what would happen if he did. His healing arm seemed to flare back up in pain at the thought. He continues to hold the plush Fredbear up high, arm completely frozen. Mari had stopped jumping for it and had gone still as well. This caused more fear to fill him, and his heart felt as though it would pound out of his chest. The bear was plucked out of his hand, and the way it was handed back to Mari made him feel as though he was faint. He finally managed to look up at the adult behind him, and he doesn’t like the relief that fills him at spotting Henry behind him instead of their father. 

“Now Mike,” Henry starts, looking at him with the most gentle, yet stern look he’s ever seen. Michael felt...well, he felt like any kid who was given the _‘Dad’_ voice. Ashamed of their actions, but no lingering fear behind that. “You know better than this. That’s not really nice to do to your brother.” Michael wanted to scoff at the scolding. He wasn’t a kid, he didn’t need to be treated like one. Instead, he let his bandaged arm fall to his side, not liking the look that Henry was giving him. 

He wanted to throw a fit. He wanted to yell about how the man wasn’t his dad, and he shouldn’t tell him what to do, but instead he hunched his shoulders up, face flushing in embarrassment and shame. He hates it. He hates that he can’t speak up in front of Henry. “Apologize to Mari, Mike. It’s not nice to take something he cares a lot about like that.” Henry continued, causing Michael to pout. 

“...M’ sorry.” He stubbornly says, watching his little brother shake his head at Henry, hands up defensively. 

“For?” Henry continues. 

_’Fucking damnit!’_

“M’ sorry Mari,” he starts again, teeth grit. “For taking your stupid toy.”

Henry ruffles his hair, and Michael cringes, but lets it happen. “Now go have fun! Your dad will be done in about an hour”

And with that, Henry leaves. Michael’s face is red, and he wants to stomp around and complain, but he doesn’t. Instead, he stomps his foot down, and turns around on his heels away from Mari. He walks away with a loud, annoyed sigh. 

That was the first time that getting scolded wasn’t so bad. 

—————

He grabs onto his little brother harshly, fingers sure to bruise. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He seethes, relishing in the fresh tears that roll down Marion’s eyes. It felt good to let out his pain. The laughter from his friends that echoed around him fueled him on. The way they encouraged this behavior, the way they would all shove his little brother around. It made him feel powerful. No matter what he did, their father always seemed to find a way to make his life a living hell. Michael couldn’t stand keeping the aggression inside, so he found the next good target. 

His little brother. 

The way he cried annoyed him. If Michael himself were to cry like this, he would have been hit. Yet, his little brother was allowed to do it all he wanted. He could cry, yell, break things, whatever, and he wouldn’t get in trouble. Michael _hates_ it. Even when they all grabbed ahold of Mari, he felt angry. Taking him up to Fredbear, and pushing him close to the animatronic fueled the anger in him. So when he gave the idea to shove his brother inside the mouth, that was the only time the anger diminished. The way Mari practically wailed made him that powerful feeling return. 

“M-Michael, please!” Mari cried. He could hear Henry yelling, and running over, yet he didn’t stop what he was doing, only shoving Mari in further, causing the boy to kick, to scream, to cry. “Mich-!” _crunch._

The sickening sound seemed to reverberate off the walls. Screams behind him encased him, and Henry was shoving him out of the way, calling his brother’s name. Michael watched the blood that dropped down Fredbear’s mouth, and the way his brother almost looked unrecognizable. He began to feel lightheaded then, and a call of his name was all he heard as he fainted right then and there. 

T̷̢̝̱̻͓̟̖̳̻̤̼̓͋̒́͆̓̋̀̆͒̆̍̓̈́̃̾̇̑̒͒̿̆̀̋̃̇̀̔͋̎̕͘̚͘̕̕͠͝o̷̳̦̝̰̠̬͇͇͓̗̭͖͙̎͛̀̏͑̍͊̓̃̎̂͛̂̀̋̓̈́̎̑̈́̇͋̉̋̓̏͂͗̓͒̊̋͒͊̓̉̾̔̅̃̐̅̒͌̽͊͋͋͗͐̔̂͗̀̾͂̆͐̔̓̌̓͂̈̇̐͘̚̕̚̚̕͘͘͝͝͠͠͝͠͝͠͝͝m̷̨̢̧̨̡̧̜̠̖͚͈͉͈̞̣͈̟͔͕̩̭̗̯̜̺̟̮̦̱̳̣̝̯̙̙̜̫̟̥̼̯̹̗̬̱͈̠̣̦͆͛̎͜ͅͅơ̴̡̢̢̢̧̨̧̨̢̨̥̮̜̮͈͕̫̠̼͓͓̝̠͖̯̱̣̞̭͚̞̟̱̼̟͔͙̜͖͖̻͇̬͔͓̹̳̙͈͔̹̬̪̱͕͈̹͎͓̙̳͈͕͓͓͔̥̝̝̳̜̩̱͍̰͈̽̿͗̎̆͗͂̎̐̂̑̒͌͋̾̈́̉̃̃̂͂̽̔̓͌̊̀̓̾̒̃̚͜͜͠͠͝ř̸̨̧̢̬̩̣̲̯͍̯̫͕̲̝͕̺̥̹̪̰̳̹̪̙̝̖̹̲̠͙̖̠͕̗͉̥͔͓̖̝͓͈̐͑̔̅̈́̓̓́͗͑̀́̂͋̂̐̃̈́͌͊̃̽͂̽͛͊͆͗̋̏̅́͆̄̓̅̚͜͠͠ͅͅr̶̛̛̰̟͎̠͉̞̖͈͍̬̜͎̪̲͕̝̦̟̤̝̹͖̻̖̼̰̰̼̝̯͖̳̥̙̹͉̳̠̮͈̬̦̻͔͖̻̗̥͎̠̂̍̈́́̂̉̍͆͂̾̇͆̾͒͑͆̒̆̽̄̎̈́͋̌̑̇͒̋̀̓͒̔́̾̀͐͗̎́̽̄͋͛͗̉̓̔͑͗̆̇̅̓̎̈́̄͊̏͘̚͘̚͝͝͝͠ơ̵̧̡̨̛̛̛͕̞̱̺̲̥̪̣̝͎̳͉̜̳͉͍̙͕̬̜̻͈̫͕̰̪̭͇̳͇̺̝̺̯̟͖̈́̊̎̒̀͒͌̏̄̿̈́̎̍̆͋̿̽̌̎̇́͂̈́̽̋͌͛̇̎͑́̎́̽̋̃͂̽̓̈́̃̎̔͒̇̔̔͐̓̉̀͐̽̓̈͗̉͛̀̍̚̕̚̚̕̕͘͠͝͠ͅͅw̷̨̡̨̢̢̢̮̙̰̬͉͍͓̭̝͍̙͓͇͍̯̺̭̩̞̣̥͖̙̜͙̩͚͚̘̝̹̭̩͉̗̙͉͕̹̻̗̘̣̝̜̫͖̬̝͓̗͈̠̮̣͙͚͉̮͉̹͎͙̹̙̺͉̜͖͔̖̞̥͛̋ ̴̢̡̨̨̢̧̨̯͕̣͕͓̖̣̫̞͉̼̮͍͇̺̠̹͍̗̱̺̦̱̬̤̟͍͔͓̤͓̏͌̈̂͊̒̇͌̒́̇̀͌͌̓̅͒͊̅͜͝ͅi̷̡̨̨̧̧̨̼̮̦̣͍̭̦̱̮͙̝̟̞̳̣̳̙̠̼͎̹̣͓̞̩̥̬͕̣͓̻̟̠͉̰̱͖̯͓͓̦̫̖͉̝͕̺̪͎̞̤̬͖̗̞͕͓͉̝̹̰̹̩̭̺͎̦̝͙̬͇̥̥̦͖̳̳̗̹͓̦̫͚͆͗̔̉̀̀̅̈́̿̿͒͊͘̕͜͝ͅͅͅs̷̨̢̛̛͇͈̻͓͙̰̫̠͙͕̥̥̫̩̦̭͈̳̦̟̰̮̬̳̞̝͚̥̻͕̜͈̩̝͔̺̹͇͚̠̝̲̜̦̭̊͑͒̓͒̓̈́̅̓́̀̐̑͘̕͘͜ ̶̛̜͈̖̻̮̩̗̜̺̳̣̇̉̊̏̂̒̈́̿̆͋͗̀̐̿̊̈́̂̾̀͆́̓͊͌̂́̎̃̎͂̓͑̀̈́́̃̈́̄͛̆̍̑̂̆͆͊̌́͂̕͘͝͝͠ͅǎ̵̡̨̡̧͈̺̖̰̮̤̯͍̯̬̺̟͔̦͍̣̲̳͓̺̱̩̯̦͕͖̜͔̦̟̫͇͓̩̦͈̭͍̫͖̦̘̙͈̫̘̝͙̻͎̱̬̟̯̥͈̲̖̟̽̔̑̀́͗̀̌̽̎̈́́̃̋̐͐̅̈́͘͜ͅͅņ̸̢̡̡̡̨̡̡̛̛͎̹͚͓̻̻̹̩͕̻̤̙̥̼̩͈͔͉̰̥͚̤̯̯̫̪̭̬͔̻͈͉̟̮̹̟͔͉̟͖͔̩̂̏̑̆̑̆͐̂̽͑́̔̈́̍̿̊̊̽̉͋͑̓̄̾̀͋̐̂͗̓̆̽̃̈͛́͆͂̔̈́̊͌̈̍͊̑̋͌̽̿͆̔̽̓͆̎͊̓́̇̚͘̕͝͠͠͝͝͝͝͝͝ͅͅơ̴̧̢̡̢̥̺̟͕̻̯͚̱̥̗̳̤͕͓͈̩͇̗̤̟̯̪̠̺͚̖̰͓̙͇̝̦̺̻̰͇͈̖̮̱͚̟͖̖̻̭̲̮͇̯̩̮͇̲̅͛͐̔̒̿̃̐̊́̄̽̈́̆̊̾̈́̿̇͗̎̐͑̊̀̒̅̈̇͐̍̐͋͘̕̚̚̕̚͝͝͝t̶̡̢̡̡̧̡̨̪͔̠̦̯̜̹̝͚̭̣̥̗̲̲̮̘̫̬̺̰̻̥̗͙͔̙̗̯͍̯̪̙̯͍̳̮̞̬̦̘͙̭̼̪̼̼̝͎͉͕̪͇̲̙͓͎̞̤̥͕̞̬̮̱̙̗̿̆͌̐͂́͐͜͜͠ͅͅh̴̢̨̨̥̯̳̙̳̳̲̲̜̟̟̖̖̥͔̰̤̹̯̻̟͍͔̳̙͓̰̪͓͎̮͉̬̗͙͔̫̳͕̥͔̠̼͈̯̞̜͆̀̇̓͆͂͋͛̈̿̄̎́̆̐͂͂̂͂̒̿̈̈̾͆̂̿̚̕͝͠͝͠ͅȩ̶̡̢̢̨̧̭͎̩̤̱͚̫̰̗̩͚͔̖̻͓̱̝̤̤̣̩̮̟͈͕̗͎͖̝̱̘̺̳̟͚̙̩̮̯͉̩̹̠̪̪̙̫̹͚̱̗̥̫͍̺̫͕̟̪͔̟̹̥̣͈̩̳̠͔̫̙̣̻̳͔̼̪͐̿́̓̅͂̓̊͂̏̑̄̍̔͐͒̉̕͜͜͜͝ͅr̷̨̨̡̧̢̛͎̱̲̗̘͖͈̠̮̫̤̫̞̗̹̺̘͇͓̣̰͓̙͔̺̞͎̪̲̲̮̤̤͔͕̖̩̙͇̟̞̣̉͛͗̆́̅̎̃͐͑̎̈́͑̍̒̋͝ͅ ̸̨̡̛̛̥̗͕̱̗̮͖̱̤̹̦̜̟͖̻͔̞̮̫͓͔̻̼̞͉̘͚̠͇̣̥̦͚̖͙̥̗̮̙̔̿͐́͑͑̀̇̌̾̌̈́͗́̈́̆͑́̀̏̂͒͒̎͑̊͊̾̈́̋́͊̇̚̕͘͜͝ͅͅḏ̵̢̢̧̡̧̢̢̧̢̢̛̛̛̛͈̦͍͇͎̗̦̥̙̺̖̗̫̰̜̪̥̝̱̳̖͚̜͍̮̞̤͉͍̦̜̠̬̝͚̝̺͈̯̮͇͓̭̙̝̫͓̳̟̠̬̹̤̦̩̺̌̀͋̍̓̈́͌͐͆̈́̋͋̋̒̓̿͊̍̽̍̋͂͊́͑́̋̑͊́̉̍̑̈̒̉̎̈̏͂͌̐͛̄̍̏́̑̏̏̃̓̈́̀̄̑́͑̿̈́̓͘̕͘̕̚͘̚̕̕̚͜͜͝͝͝ͅͅͅá̵̧̧̨̧̢̡̧̛̛͚͚̦̪̯͕̦̯̭̟̠̝͇̜̼̝̪͖̙̘̭̞̰̭͙̜̞̟͕̻̘͉̞̭̹̳̩̤͎̼̼͚̫͙͓͈̥̼̺̭͙͕̝́̈́́͑̄̐̓̄̑͛̐͆̋̾̈̔͗͋͛͗̀̾͌́̓͗͌̓̃̀̐̌̇͗͆̒͐̈̅͆͋̏́͊̇́̅̐̎̿̅̒̚̕̕̕͜͜͜͠͠͝͠͠͠ͅy̵̢̧̙̞͖̙͓̗̭͇̱̰̝͎̲̤̦̝̘͙͔̻̫̽̓̈́̊̈̍͗̆̅̒́͑̆̅́̌́̈́̈́̅̍̏͌̿̔͒̈̇͐̿̉̍̌̅͋͊̈́̾̐̌̎̏̒́̌̚͘͜͠͠͝͝ͅ.̸̛̬̱̺͓̭̤̭̗̥̩̰̆̀̄͐̏͊̑͝.̸̢̢̡̛̛̛̰̲̭̱̗͔̞̬̳͇͎̪̬͔̣̩̗̜̪͕̣̯̙̘̝̫̲̖̣̣̣͙͚͖̞̯͍̺͇͖̖̘̺͍̰̲͐̇͗̉̍͛̈́͂͊̇̅̓͆͒̐́͆̑̉̽̈̈̇͋̇̓̇̉̊̐̉̈̇̋̾̾̐͋̍̍̿̈́̀̈́̒͛̈́̾̏̌̓̈́̆̔̚͘̚͘̚͜͠͝͠͠ͅ.̶̢̢̧̢̧̘͙̰̼͇̰̤̟͓͈̹̮̹͇̦̖̜̝̜̼͉̦͓͍̟̠̙̣͎͔͖͈̰͉̫͖̝͖̰̯̹͉̞̭̘͖̣̤̰̖̝͍̘͕̤̪̲͇͔̣̫̤̮̯͖̞͎̻̺͎͖̥̲̦̞̩̐͌͑̓̏͛̌̈̋̅̈́̾͋͑̑̊͒̌̆͒́̔͊̏́͛͒́̀͛̅̓̈́̄͐͗̊̌̏̆̌̎̔̈́̓͐̒͗̈́̓͋́͗͘̕͜͜͜͜͝͝ͅͅ


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry is more of a Dad than William will ever be. 
> 
> Hello blond boii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I have like 3 jobs lol I am gonna finish this though, don’t worry! Sorry the chapter is short. I had like off of this extra stuff written, but decided it worked better in chapter 3, which is actually almost done now because of that. I will do my best to try and post it! Kinda wanna try for tonight or tomorrow, see how that goes lol

_**Two months later** _

Michael dabbed at the scratch on his bottom lip. He hissed a bit from the sharp pain, and grit his teeth. He then took a deep breath, letting it out, looking at himself in the mirror of the school bathroom. He had decided to skip English class. He really didn’t feel like going, but there was also the constant annoyances from some who he used to call friends. After what happened, they all acted like they weren’t there. Like they didn’t egg on his behavior. Like they didn’t just run away, and then act like they had nothing to do with it. Talking to the police was hard enough. He had woken up in the hospital after fainting, and not even an hour later the police had come in wanting to question him. 

His father said nothing, simply watching the display. His face was cold. Michael could see the _anger_ behind his cold eyes, and he knew that his punishment would come later. And later it did.

Nonetheless less, he couldn’t exactly process what happened. What he did know is that in the moment, everything felt surreal, he confessed to it all, blaming himself, but it all felt jumbled. He remembers telling them that his friends were there at some point, why he did it. And then he remembers asking about his brother, begging to see him, but…

He was dead upon arrival. 

He went quiet after that. He was useless beyond that point. He gave some jumbled form of a statement, and he couldn’t exactly care if he was going to jail or not. All he could think about was that _Mari is dead._

Afterwards, he was allowed home. His father pushed him in, saying that he got off scott free thanks to Henry. 

Michael sighs, turning on the bathroom sink, and splashing his face full of water, before drying it off. He decides to skip his last class of the day as well. 

Henry has been picking up him and his sister a lot more lately. 

— — — —

When he slinks outside, Henry is out there already waiting for him. He easily avoids any looks he gets, trying to stifle a yawn before getting in the front seat. He hasn’t slept barely since the accident, but he can’t even silently wallow in self pity over it. Two months, and everyone still acts like it’s a hot topic. 

“Hey Mike!” Henry says, overly cheery as usual. He supposes that he should be grateful that the man even treats him the same. 

He grunts in response, staying quiet. The three kids in the back remain silent. He can hear Lizzie whispering something to Charlie. He can hear the way the girl gasps, and whispers at his sister not to say that. He decides to try and ignore it. He looks down at his lap, slowly buckling his seatbelt. 

“So, how was school?” Henry continues, beginning to drive out of the school parking lot. 

“...”

He continues to remain quiet. He honestly doesn’t have the energy to answer. 

“...Get into any fights again?” Henry tries, to which Michael stiffens a bit. “Did you win, at least?”

Charlie bonks her dad on the head at this, crossing her arms. “Dad, you know that’s a bad thing to ask!” She scolds, and Henry chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. 

“Sorry, sorry.” He comments, pushing his glasses up as they reach a stoplight. He taps his thumbs on the steering wheel, humming a bit, before finally reaching over and ruffling Michael’s hair. “I’m here if you ever need any help bud.” He decides to at least add that, willing to give in. He knows Michael really well, and when Mike doesn’t want to talk about it, he won’t. 

The rest of the ride is quiet, minus the kids in the back making noise, and giggling here and there. Upon parking, they all scatter out of the car, leaving Henry and Michael to slowly get out. Henry glances at the three kids by the door, happily chatting away without a care in the world. He then glances towards Michael, who’s movements seem sluggish. He can’t help but knit his brows, tilting his head towards the young teen. “Mike,” he starts, causing the boy to quicken his movements. He easily slides his hand onto Mike’s shoulder, feeling the way the teen stiffens. He gives it a reassuring squeeze. It’s obvious that Mike doesn’t want to talk. They haven’t really discussed the situation personally, and it’s been because the teen tries to avoid talking about it. William has told him that he can force the kid to talk, but Henry would rather they talk when he’s ready. “Look, I’m not going to make you talk, but we need to.” He easily says, watching the fearful look that filled Michael’s features. “Come see me whenever you’re ready. I’ll be here to listen, regardless of when you decide. It can be months, it can be years. I just want you to know that no matter what, my view of you isn’t going to change.” He gives Michael’s arm a light punch, smiling like an idiot at the kid. 

Michael looks dumbfounded with the last gesture, but shoves Henry away gently. “...Thanks.” He quietly says, quietly getting out of the car. His shoulders feel just a bit lighter than before. 

He’s not sure why Uncle Henry doesn’t think poorly of him just like everyone else. It’s his fault that his brother died. It’s his fault that both Henry and his father’s business has shrunk, and it’s his fault that Lizzie will never get to have a normal childhood without being asked how it feels to have a brother who’s a murderer. He doesn’t get why Henry still smiles at him, why the man treats him likes he’s his own kid, or even why he keeps asking what Michael wants for his birthday. To him, Henry is bizarre. Michael can’t read his mind, but he does know one thing. It’s small, and stupid, but he willingly lets himself bask in the normalcy that Henry gives him. 

He knows that it’ll come back to bite him in the ass later, but he gives in to it. Even as he slinks inside, Henry closing the door behind them, he basks in the warmth of the Emily home. He truly feels at home. 

— — — —

“Oof!” A blond 15 year old boy huffed as he finally sat down the last box that he had previously packed. He put his hands on his hips, letting out a sigh, taking a small look around his new room. He couldn’t help but smile, immediately digging into the box that had his game console, and quickly setting it up by his tv stand. With that, came his countless amount of video games, and with those, a good handful of movies. He unpacks with a little skip in his step. Normally kids his age would be sulking. Wishing that they could go back to their friends. Maybe even loathing their parents for making them move. 

Not him. 

In fact, while leaving his friends did indeed leave him upset, he was easily just as capable of lifting his head up high. This is a new adventure for him. He’s excited to be somewhere new, even if it’s an entirely new state. Maine was fun, and will always hold a special place in his heart, but Utah called to him. His Dad’s sudden transfer seemed to be some form of a sign, and he was happy to grab ahold. 

“Jeremy!” His mother called from the kitchen. “Pizza’s here.” 

Jeremy easily dropped what he was doing, speeding towards the dining room where his parents were already sitting, pulling out their own slices and placing them onto paper plates. He immediately grabbed ahold of several, already beginning to stuff his face. 

“So,” his father started, taking a sip of his soda. “Want to start school tomorrow, or next week?”

“Tomorrow, duh dad!” 

His mother giggled at his response, simply ruffling her son's hair. While any other kid would prefer to have started later, not him. Jeremy had become too excited about the town. The people have made him just as excited, and while he knew that life would be the same, regardless of where he resided, it didn’t stop his ecstatic curiosity either. 

No, he’s on a mission. Even if that mission is to simply search every nook and cranny of some basic place, with little to no interesting factors. Well, maybe except the ever popular diner that he’s heard so much about. He’s seen commercials and such, but they could never find the time to travel here. Yet, now he could check it out all he wants. 

Jeremy quickly stuffed his face, immediately running back up to his room to unpack as much as he could before the day ended. Upon heading to bed, it was simply hard to fall asleep. He had become too excited, and eagerly wondered who he’d meet, and what sort of exciting stories everyone had. 

He could feel the adventure waiting for him, and he is more than happy to oblige in whatever crosses his path.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy meets the outcast of the school

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double upload. ITS HAPPENING  
> And sorry if there’s a bunch of errors, I haven’t slept for an entire day. I’m gonna try my best to do so tonight.

Michael awoke with a start, heart pounding, practically shaking like a leaf. He didn’t register who was in front of him at first, but just as quickly as he wanted to shove them away, he recognized it as Uncle Henry. He let out a sigh of relief, slumping back down. Henry patted his shoulder, giving him a worried smile. “You okay bud?” He asked, causing Michael to let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

He had fallen asleep. 

“M’ fine.” He simply stated, sitting up, running a hand down his face. He wasn’t supposed to be asleep. He hates how his body keeps giving in at the most inconvenient of times. 

“Michael,” Henry starts, sitting down next to the teen. “What happened?” Mike doesn’t like the use of his entire first name, nor does he like the worry in Henry’s voice. Michael doesn’t know what to say. He swallows the lump in his throat, lips pursed, shoulders hunched. 

“U-Uncle Henry,” he tries, looking everywhere but to the older man. 

“The three of you, back to bed. Now.”

Michael’s face flushes an intense red. Just what did he do? He remembers being grabbed by Fredbear, he remembers feeling how much he deserved this horrific fate. How realistic Fredbear looked. How tall, scary, and even bloody he looked. How sharp his teeth and claws were, that deep, slow, menacing laugh-

The way Mari seemed to just smile at him as he inches closer towards the monster’s mouth. Even the dumb, basic sentence that gurgled passed his lips as blood began to pour down his face. _“Welcome home.”_

He doesn’t know what the heck it means, and he doesn’t want to know. It doesn’t make sense, and he doesn’t know if it ever will. 

“Now,” Henry interrupts his thoughts. “That must have been a scary dream, Bud. What happened?” 

Michael glanced at Henry for a small moment, before shaking his head and looking away. He pulled the covers up around himself more, gulping. “Look, I’m sorry if I made a ruckus-“

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Michael. I was worried you were hurt. I can running down the moment I heard you scream bloody murder- I thought someone was hurting you!”

Michael wants to ask why. Why did Henry care? But he decided to keep his mouth shut. 

Figures he’d scream and make a commotion. He’s good at causing a scene. 

“I’m fine.” He instead says, lying his head down on the arm of the couch. He doesn’t see the worried and upset look on Henry’s face, but he can feel the way the man’s warm palm cups his cheek affectionately, thumb caressing his cheekbone, before moving up to ruffle his hair. He’s not used to the gentle touches. In fact, they freak him out a little more than they help, but he doesn’t want them to stop. He really can’t make up his mind. He snuggles down into the fluffy blanket more. “I’m okay, Uncle Henry. Thank you for checking on me, it...” he trails off, not really sure what to say. “I appreciate it.” He instead says, leaving it at that. 

It only took a bit more prodding for the man to leave, but once he does, an empty feeling fills Michael. He can’t help but sigh, forcing his tired eyes to watch the television in front of him. Even when they begin to droop, he bites his tongue hard enough to bleed, forcing himself to focus on the soap opera about a vampire and human relationship on the t.v. 

— — — —

When the morning arrives, Jeremy is awakened early by the smell of bacon. He doesn’t bother to try and take his time waking up. Instead, he bursts out of bed, throwing on some jeans, a light brown button up and green sweater. It’s his favorite! The one his mom made for him. It’s extra thick and comfortable. 

Jeremy is quick to wash his face, brush his teeth, and do other morning tasks, before running down to the dining room. He doesn’t bother trying to hide the fact that he has yet to put his contacts in. Instead, he fumbles into everything, quickly washing his hands, and sitting down at the table. “Jeremy, be careful!” His mother gasps out, knowing fully well why he’s stumbling around. “You’re supposed to put them on in the bathroom sweetheart.” She comments with a sigh as he quickly unscrews the right contact lid. 

His father ruffles his son’s hair, sipping at his coffee. “Don’t stress your mother out too much this morning Jere. She’s already got enough on her plate.”

Jeremy smiles at his father’s affection, face tinting pink, and slipping in the contact, blinking a few quick times. “I’m sorry mom,” he starts. He can hear the chuckle from the kitchen. “But the doctor said that changing up my routine helps with my depression.” And there goes his mom snorting, but saying nothing in return. His father sighs, shifting through the magazine he was reading. 

“I don’t think this is quite what she had in mind.” His father comments as Jeremy puts the last contact in, gently wiping at his eyes. He shrugs in response, grabbing his Dad’s coffee, and drinking it. The look he gets makes him smile knowing he’s in trouble for just doing that. “Speaking of, are you close to needing a refill?”

“In a couple of weeks I will be.” Jeremy easily responds, thanking his mother for the coffee that she placed down in front of him. 

“Grace, the coffee will make him jittery.”

“The coffee won’t do much more than what the serotonin is already doing, Dad.” Jeremy cuts in, digging into breakfast. His mom sets hers and his fathers plates down, taking a seat next to Jeremy. 

“Did you unpack your fidget cube Sweetheart?” Grace asks her son, watching him stuff his face. 

“Already in my bag!” He easily says, devouring the meal in front of him. 

“Go easy on the teachers today, Jeremy. The world can only handle so much dork.” Richard comments, cutting his egg in half. 

Jeremy hits his dad’s arm playfully, and the three continue eating. 

Right after, Jeremy quickly helps his mom clean up, before grabbing his bag and already heading towards the front door. “Woah woah, don’t you want a ride?” His dad asks, adjusting his tie. 

“Nah, I’m gonna bike. Better to learn the route now.” He said, putting his converse on. “I’ll message you both when I get to the school, I promise!” Jeremy says, hopping back up. He can hear his mother sigh, telling him to be careful, but to have fun. He waved goodbye to both of them, grabbing a hold of his bike, and zipping off down the street. Almost immediately, he almost runs into an old brown car, scaring not only the older passenger, but a teen that looks his age, and three younger kids in the back. He yells _‘Sorry!’_ At them, before speeding off. Of course, this time around, he’s looking more thoroughly for oncoming vehicles. 

The ride is uneventful, quiet, and relaxing at the same time. He parks his bike, locking it, and running into the building. His parents have already called the principal, letting them know that Jeremy would be coming today. So when he walks in, gives his name, a tall, dark skinned female with the most beautiful curly hair that Jeremy has ever seen pops out, introducing herself as Mrs. Lovett. She hands him his schedule, goes over a brief summary about the rules, where he can find the guidance counselor if he needs them, etc. She then proceeds to take him to his first class of the day, and he thanks her, happily walking in and introducing himself to the teacher. 

And this is how the first three periods go. He already managed to score a group to eat with at lunch, and so far, this school seems more laid back than his other one. He expects it to continue this way. He’s tired after lunch, as per usual, so when he looks around the classroom, right to the only empty seat, he doesn’t expect to see such a gloomy looking kid. It’s the biggest turn around that he’s ever seen. Every other teen in the building may have looked bored, but not so gloomy. Nonetheless, he doesn’t hesitate to take a seat beside him, opting to not initiate conversation unless spoken to. 

Even when his new acquaintance Gabriel sits beside him, punching his shoulder with a smile he ignores how the gloomy kid glances at him for a split second. “Jeremy,” Gabe starts, learning in close proximity to Jeremys space. “Give me your cell number.”

“Think you're _cool_ enough for it~?” Jeremy teases, earning a playful shove, which sends him right into the gloomy kid. 

“Hey, watch it!” The kid snaps, causing Jeremy to pull away. 

“Ah, uh, sorry!” He stutters, not liking the look that Gabriel has. 

“It was an accident, Afton. Mind your own business.” Gabe snaps. An uncomfortable feeling overwashed Jeremy at that point. He shivered in discomfort, nervously watching the two. 

“Asshole.” Afton mutters under his breath, to which Gabe reacts. 

“What’d you say to me?!” Gabe snaps, causing Jeremy to put a hand on his shoulder. 

“H-Hey, let’s not fight now!” Jeremy interjects, getting right in between the two. “Want my number still Gabe? Maybe you can come over and play some games! I have tons!”

Jeremy didn’t really know if his plan to keep the two from fighting really worked, or if it was something more, but Gabriel became invested in him once again, and the other, Afton is what Gabe called him, simply sighed, getting up and walking out of the classroom. Immediately as the door clicked, Gabe pulled Jeremy in close. “Best not to get close to Afton.”

Jeremy cocked a brow. “Why?” He simply asked, causing a girl who was sitting at her desk to pipe in. 

“He killed his brother.”

“Slaughtered him in front of a whole crowd, is what I heard.” Another teen added. 

“What?” Was all Jeremy could ask. He almost wanted to ask just how that was possible, considering the teen they were talking about is roaming free and not in jail. Unless that’s not how it works. 

“Guy hates his family, just sort of snapped finally. You know how it is”

Jeremy was rather surprised by the way Gabe was trying to wave it off, but gave a nod. “Yeah, okay.”

And as of right on cue, the bell rang. The teacher walked in, immediately taking roll call, but upon getting to Afton’s seat, she sighed heavily. “Has anyone seen Michael?” She tried, only to receive no answer, to which she scribbled something, and muttered under her breath. She didn’t bother trying to get to know Jeremy or asking if he was new. Probably knew, but thought nothing of it. 

As she finally started teaching, Jeremy couldn’t help but glance over at the empty seat right next to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael hits his Father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m already writing the next chapter. I know I’m tired, but I’m gonna write until I pass out.
> 
> Trigger warnings: 
> 
> -Hitting  
> -Tasing  
> -Choking

Jeremy didn’t see or hear anything else about the gloomy looking kid from his class. What he did discover, however, is the few classes that he did have with him. A teacher would call his name in roll, but upon not being there, the teachers continued to mutter under their breath, and write something down. He can’t help but wonder if the kid has a habit of skipping. He supposes he can’t blame him. He'd do the same if everyone gave him the stink eye constantly. 

Yet, despite the curiosity lingering deep inside of him, it was easy to ignore. He waved goodbye to his new friends, deciding that he’d rather not socialize with them after school today, and simply unlocked his bike. He was pulling it to the side walk to leave, when he saw Michael standing outside. Jeremy couldn’t help but take the time to really look at him. His baggy sweater, the dark brown wavy mess of hair, that pale face. He looked a bit awkwardly put together, but maybe that was because of how exhausted he looked. Even the bags under his eyes looked like a permanent mark tattooed to his eyes. Jeremy knit his brows. He had the urge to try and say something to Michael, but that sounded like the worst possible idea. 

He sort of wanted to know about the weird comments made in class earlier. We’re they true? Or was there more to it? As much as he wanted to ask Gabe about it, he didn’t really feel like he’d get the entire answer, so he didn’t. In the end, he walked away, leaving the boy to his own devices. 

Though, he isn’t sure why he feels so worried when he doesn’t see the Afton kid more than he already has. He’s wanted to reach out to him in the hallway, but can never bring himself to when they pass each other. 

— — — —

Michael’s vision was the first thing that returned. It slid in and out of darkness, before a loud ringing slithered into his ears. He blinked and groaned a few times, before his hearing finally came back. He slowly began to push himself up, hissing in pain, and falling back down. He held back the whine that wanted to escape his throat, and decided to lie there a bit longer. He finally pried his eyes open, scanning his surroundings. 

Basement. The basement at their house. 

Right...Uncle Henry dropped Michael off at home, said his father wanted to see him. Of course, Lizzie was told to stay an extra night with Henry. He remembers quietly entering the house, watching as Henry decided then to back out, seeing as he was in the house. Mike couldn’t help but watch the car as it drove off, a feeling of longing filling him. However, he didn’t get to feelbask in the feeling, as a rough hand was placed on his shoulder. He stiffened, looking up at the person connected to the hand- His father. 

Fear crawled up Michael’s spine. He so badly wanted to yell at the older man and tell him to leave him alone, but Mike knew if he did, whatever was coming would be way worse. Even as he was pulled forcefully down into the basement of their house, he remained quiet. He was pushed to the ground. He listened as his father grabbed a hold of his belt, the metal clinking noise sending sparks of fear clambering through him. 

“Your principal called me today.” William spoke, voice cold. Michael gulped, vision unfocused, body visibly trembling against his will. “Says you’ve been skipping class.” Michael stays silent at this, to which his father sighs. He’s long since learned not to care whether or not he attends school. His Father could care less if Michael himself had an education. He was always more focused on his little brother and sister. 

Of course, this causes him to try another tactic. “I was also asked about Marion today.” The way Michael stiffens has a wicked smirk growing on his father’s face. “I had to relive that experience all over again. Do you know how that would make anyone feel?”

“...”

Michael remained quiet. He didn’t know if he should answer or not. He doesn’t want to give the man the satisfaction of knowing that he can push his buttons by simply mentioning his little brother. 

However, his answer was either wrong, or would have been wrong no matter what he decided. His father simply grabbed ahold of his hair, pulling his head up to meet his eyes. Those icy blue orbs bore into his soul, seeming to dominate everything that made him sane. Insults directed at his father filled his head. He wanted to curse the man out, take that belt and hit him back. He wanted to do so much, but he simply felt too weak to do it. 

“No father should have to live with the consequences that their child decides to unleash upon them.”

He could feel his heart thumping out of his chest and his ears buzz. The urge to punch his father was strong. He tried hard to hold back the feeling. The _want_ to unleash his anger back at the man. 

“Michael,” William seethed out, getting deep into Michael’s space. “It’s because of you, that not only have I lost a son, but I’ve lost a strong friendship with Henry.”

_Crunch!_

He was dropped to the ground, his hand trembling. He watched blood ooze out of his father’s nose, hands flying up to grab a hold of the bleeding area. A sense of triumph filled Michael, but a deep pit of fear followed next. He dumbly sat there on the ground, almost not believing that he did that. That he actually hit his own father in the nose. Like some form of pay back for the way he’s treated him, and going so far as to act like Michael was the one who ruined Henry’s view of him. 

“You little,”

Michael scrambled as quickly as he could to his feet, stumbling as he attempted to run up the stairs. However, he was clumsy. He slipped on the middle step, banging his own face against the wood below him, biting his tongue hard enough to bleed. He hissed in pain, but began to crawl up the stairs. He planned to run out the door. He knew how to get to Henry’s, and he was gonna run all the way there. He was going to selfishly hide behind the man, and beg for protection. Henry is his safe haven, and he _needed_ to get to him. He was just about to breach the doorway, when he felt a hand around his ankle. He instinctively began to kick, managing to land a blow once again right into his father’s face. He was just about to kick the hand off, but immediately stopped, and convulsed instead. 

The feeling of electricity coursed through his side, and his body spasmed, curling in on itself. This became plenty of time for William to grab a hold of Michael and drag him back down the stairs. “Wait!” Michael screeched, hands going up to grab the tazer. His own hands were easily knocked aside, and another surge of electricity filled up, causing his body to spasm once more. Michael lay there and twitched, drooling a bit from the high voltage. He forced himself to try and focus, but continued to have trouble. He could feel as William grabbed ahold of his face, practically hissing into his face. 

“Wanna try that again?!” The man seethed, causing Michael to panic. 

“N-N-NNNohh!” He stupidly wailed, having a rough time forcing his voice out. He could suddenly feel hands collapse around his neck, wasting no time in squeezing. Michael immediately began to gag, fumbling around and trying to pull his father’s hands off. 

He doesn’t know if it was because of the taser, or his father squeezing harder than he thought, but he quickly passed out. This brings him back to his current situation. His back and neck hurt. He could feel an open wound or two rubbing raw against his clothing, telling him that his father did more after he had lost consciousness. He let out a small whine, pushing himself up once more, desperately trying not to hurt himself more than he already was. 

The walk back upstairs felt like years. Dragging his heavy body through the door, he tried desperately not to collapse back down. He forced himself to take a few slow and deep breaths, he quietly dragged himself towards his room, heavy eyes sluggishly glancing around for his father, who seemed to have disappeared. 

Good. 

He fumbled with his broken door knob, easily stepping inside, and using the rather barren wall to make his way towards his closet. He settled on a grey sweater. He fumbled it off of the hanger, not caring when the hanger fell with a small _clack,_ and dragging himself to the bathroom. He didn’t pay much attention to his fresh bruises. Instead, he opted to ignore them as he wiped them off with a long stand of toilet paper, before haphazardly bandaging them, and throwing the sweater on. 

He finally dragged himself back towards the front door, opting to finally go back to Henry’s. He wasn’t told to stay, so he wouldn’t. He’d rather be somewhere that he could sink into warm, fluffy blankets. Somewhere that he would be welcome in with an awkward hug, because Henry didn’t know if Michael liked them because of his age. He wanted to watch Henry fumble around trying to understand teens, and having no clue where to even start or advance with young teenage problems. He wanted the man to accidentally treat him like a little kid, because that meant having an evening snack before dinner. Being told to do homework at the table, help offered if he needed it. He wanted to be told to brush his teeth before bed, and go as far as to have Henry read him some stupid kid picture book, because if it was Henry, he honestly wouldn’t mind. 

Even if Henry tries to give him space, simply because he thinks that maybe this is what kids his age want, he still gets a stupid head ruffle and a kiss on the head before the man heads to bed. 

As Michael closed the front door behind himself, he noticed that the sun was already setting. He’s been out for a little over two hours, it seems. Not that he really cares…

The wind bit at his skin, and it felt like both an annoyance and a welcome relief from the heat that still radiated off of his body from the wounds. He cradled his arms, swallowing, only to cough a bit at how dry his throat is. He shivered for a moment, focusing on his movements towards his safe haven. Even if he didn’t want to explain where all of these wounds came from, it was far better than being back at home. 

His vision wavered a bit, causing him to stop, close his eyes, and breathe. He had to force himself to stay awake. He had to get to Henry’s. That’s all he wants. He forced himself to open his eyes and focus on walking once more, slowly making his way down the dirt road. Maybe walking wasn’t actually the best idea, since they lived out of the neighborhood, but it didn’t stop him. In fact, the moment he began to see houses, tears sprang to his eyes, and he felt himself begin to try and walk faster. Henry’s place was so close now. He just needed to make it another block or two. He’s so close, so-

“Hey, Afton!” A voice he didn’t recognize yelled. 

He felt his heart fall deep into the pit of his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy gives Michael a Hello Kitty bandaid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m happy I can still write almost my chaotic life. Like I know it’s not amazingly edited, but I do really appreciate everyone who still reads, it means a lot to me.
> 
> Also this fic has been updated for several days, but the publication date set back to January 5th, so it didn’t show up. That makes me cry, but oh well. At least it’s fixed. But anyway, here’s the new update. Next update is almost done

Michael didn’t want to turn around. Instead, he began to try and limp faster, which caused his wounds to flare up, a hiss falling from his lips. He could hear the sound of a foot slam down on a bike pedal, and that’s when he attempted to run. Of course, this immediately backfired, and he tripped onto the ground, clenching his teeth roughly. “Woah, Afton, are you okay?!” The voice asked, and embarrassment filled him. He carefully sat up, hearing a bike fall down not far from them, and hurried footsteps. “You’re not like, bleeding, are you?” The voice asked, already prodding and poking at Mike. 

“Back off!” Michael hissed, shoving the other person away. He grunted in pain, holding himself. 

“But you’re hurt!”

Michael looked up to see just who this asshole was, only to have all anger fall from his face upon seeing such a soft, yet beautiful face. The way the blond hair seemed to lie perfectly across his forehead and chin. The way the edges cradled his cheeks ever so slightly. 

Was this an Angel?

What the hell was he thinking?

“So?” He responded finally, slapping away the offending hands. “What does it matter? Leave me alone!” He hissed, trying to force himself to get up. 

God, his body felt so tired. 

“Look Afton,” the angelic teen said in that soft, yet almost dorky voice. “I know you probably don’t trust me, but I can’t just leave you here.”

“And why the fuck not?” Michael sassed back, almost wanting to laugh at the dumbstruck expression on the other man’s face. 

“Uh, human decency?” The kid tried, to which Mike scoffed. 

“If you think that still exists, then you’re dumber than I first thought.” The English teen easily snapped back, rolling his dark blue orbs. 

That seemed to make the boy retract. Michael immediately stiffened, fists clenched. The way the other reeled back made Michael nervous. He couldn’t help but hunch in on himself, gearing himself to be ready for whatever was to come. The kid wasn’t really tall, and he didn’t look like he had any amount of muscle on his body. He could take him. 

“...Look,” the kid started, seeming to fidget. Mike couldn’t stop his eyes from trailing up the teen’s body, eyes stopping at the boy’s hands. The way he seemed to fidget, fingers easily ripping into his cuticle skin like it was something you do casually. The way he pulled and ripped the skin off left an odd taste in his mouth. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” of course he has. Who hasn’t? “But none of the stories really match up. The only consistent thing in them, is that someone died. How and when keep changing. Really, who am I supposed to believe? Others who weren’t there, or the one who’s being accused?”

“What?” Michael simply responded, staring at the blond like he was dumb. 

The angelic boy smiled nervously at him, extending a hand out. “We’ve only seen each there in passing. My name is Jeremy Fitzgerald! Blood type O, 5’5, my favorite drink is Fanta, because it’s _Fantastic_ and my favorite food varies between Taki’s and high chews.”

Michael stared at the teen dumbly, eyes glancing down to the hand presented to him. Not the hand that seemed to have a bleeding cuticle on it, but the other. The offending hand that tore the skin off. A soft looking hand with equal amounts of skin either missing or in the process of healing from being picked at rather consistently. “...Are you stupid or what?” Michael asks, slapping the hand away, and getting up. “Who the hell says all of that when they meet a person?”

This got a giggle out of the teen before him. “Me I guess!” And the way he smiled seemed to send a shy feeling over Michael. That toothy grin seemed so carefree. Perfectly straight teeth shining a little too well, probably perfected by braces before. His weren’t exactly perfect, and never really would be. Not that you could really tell unless you were looking at a few. 

Personally, not only did Mike want to slap that stupid carefree grin off of the kid’s face, he also sort of wanted to indulge in it. This last part, he hates himself for. 

Michael sighs, muttering curse words under his breath, trying hard to stand, only to freeze when he feels Jeremy’s hands grab a hold of him. “Hey, I said-“

“I know what you said, Afton. But you can barely stand, let me just help you, okay?” Jeremy interrupts, easily helping Mike to stand up fully. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s grateful for the help. Mike zips his lips, deciding to look at a patch of grass springing from cracks in the cement. Once he’s fully able to stand, He can feel the way Jeremy lightly nudges him. He immediately goes into a defensive pose, glaring down at the boy. Granted, he wasn’t much taller than him, but the height difference at least made him feel a bit at ease. Like if he absolutely needed to, he could dominate the situation. 

He’s such a fucking joke. 

“Okay, you can fucking leave now.” Mike says, beginning to limp away. A hand catches his arm, pulling him back. “Let go!” He hisses. 

_’Haha, he’s a literal cat. How cute.’_

The thought makes Jeremy smile, but he forces it away in favor of pulling Mike back towards him. “I hurt you, let me help you.”

“You made me scrape my knee, I don’t need any help.”

“Then why are you limping so bad?”

“...”

Mike glares daggers into Jeremy, trying to make the shorter boy back down. It seems to work at first, but the immediate look of determination forces whatever power that Michael had away. The way he grips onto Michael tighter, makes the English boy a bit more flustered than he’s willing to admit. “Afton, I’ll take you home. Just let me help you, yeah? You seem to be headed there, at least let me do that.”

_“No.”_ Michael says, pulling himself out of Jeremy’s grip. “Why should I trust you?” He asks, watching the way the other shrinks back. “Trust never got me anywhere. In fact, it’s hurt me more than I can count. You hang out with Gabriel, right? Why would I let myself stupidly follow you knowing that.”

“U-Uh, I…” Jeremy stutters, brows knitting together. The look of sorrow set in those green eyes causes a tinge of regret to fill Mike. But only a little. “Because..well, b-because,” He watches as Jeremy begins to pick at his fingers again, looking anywhere but at Mike. The way he stuttered like a broken record began to actually make Michael feel like a huge asshole. In fact, watching this entire reaction made Jeremy look like a kicked puppy, and Mike really didn’t like it. It reminded him of his little brother. “Because I’m not easily swayed?” Jeremy tried, looking at Mike with a small hopeful gaze. 

Mike just stared. He kept staring, and just _staring_. What came out of Fitzgerald’s mouth is probably one of the dumbest things he’s ever heard. No one is just that accepting to hang with a person who killed someone. Is the kid dumb? He could see the way sweat began to form on Jeremy’s soft face, but he could also see the sun starting to disappear more than before. He had to make up his mind soon. “...That’s not a good reason, you know that right? I don’t know you, and can’t judge that. You’re basically asking me to trust you, which again, why would I do _knowing_ that you hang out with Gabriel.” He watched the other deflate. He could tell the teen didn’t want to accept defeat, but he also didn’t really know what to say. Michael watched him fidget more, before glancing around them. The streets are still empty. No one seemed to be hiding, but he knew that if Gabe really was there, the other would have come out by now, seeing how Jeremy wasn’t really amazing anyone right now. He let out a heavy sigh, watching Jeremy stiffen. “Obviously you’re acting on your own.” Mike said, voice annoyed. He rolled his eyes, watching the other fidget more. “Gabriel isn’t that patient. If he set this up, he would have already given up on you and come out to handle it himself.”

“Does that mean-“

Mike pushed his hand onto Jeremy’s mouth, shutting him up. _’His lips are soft.’_ He thought, before shaking his head. “This doesn’t mean that I trust you. I’m simply just using you to get what I want.” Michael rationalized, though deep down he knew it was sort of a lie. He pulled his hand back, and watched as Jeremy’s face seemed to light up. He swore he could see literal stars in his green eyes. 

“Cowabunga!” 

Michael felt himself cringe. He seized up, staring Jeremy down. That hurt to listen to. That was by far the most painful thing that Michael has ever heard come out of someone’s mouth so _casually._ He didn’t even get time to question it, as Jeremy began to pull him towards his bike. “Where’s your house? You can stand on the back and hold on to me!”

Michael tripped over himself, making sputtering noises as he was dragged. He tried to compose himself by running a hand through his unruly hair. Of course, he then thought about Henry. How obvious his wounds are. By how worried the other would be if he saw. His father would find a way to make him pay if Henry saw them. The taser was new. He didn’t want to know what else might happen if he made his father mad again. 

“On second thought,” Mike began watching the nervous look full Jeremy again. “This would make my...my _dad_ worry. Is there anywhere else we can go?” Michael tried, hoping Jeremy would buy it. 

“We can go to my place!” Jeremy said excitedly. “My parents are on a date tonight, so they won’t be home until 11 pm.” Michael wanted to bash his own head in, but forced himself not to. 

“...Fine.”

“Gnarly!”

Oh for-!

Michael pushed Jeremy towards his bike, cringing. “Get on the damn bike!” He hissed, causing the other to laugh, but do as he was told. 

He waited for the other to settle on his bike, before standing on the back, hands resting on Jeremy’s shoulders. The blond waited for Michael to settle, before taking off. He was very surprised by the calm atmosphere, despite how cold it is. 

Upon arriving at the old, but well put together white and gray house, Jeremy carefully parked his bike, letting Michael step down, before getting up. He quickly ushered the taller teen inside, kicking off his shoes once he entered the house. Mike followed suit, though stumbling a bit. “I’ll grab the first aid.” Jeremy ushered Mike to the table, pulling a chair out for him. “You just sit here, I won’t be long.”

Mike opened his mouth to comment, but quickly shut it. He doesn’t really want to have some kid look at him. Then again, maybe this all wasn’t exactly a good idea to begin with. As long as he can keep the guy from prodding at his wounds under his shirt, he’ll be fine. And with that, he rolled the pant leg up on the knee he fell down on. The scrape really wasn’t even a scrape. It was more of a bruise. However, he had big doubts that this would keep the other teen from prodding at him. 

Michael let out a sigh, leaning an elbow in the table, head resting on his palm. He still felt _so tired_. He really isn’t sure if it’s lack of sleep, being tased, or both. How high was the voltage in that thing? He didn’t even know that his father carried one. 

Well, no reason to be surprised. He’s alive, that’s all that matters he supposed.

“Wicked, you’re still here!” Michael cocked a brow at Jeremy, watching as the other seemed to skip towards the table, getting down on his knees in front of Mike. “I promise I won’t hurt you.” He seemed to pledge, gently poking the side of Michael’s knee, causing him to hiss. “Sorry Afton.” 

Michael rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t matter, just fix it.” He demanded, watching the other pull out a cotton swab. What the hell was he getting that for? He opened his mouth to question, when he saw it. A little scrape. 

So he did somehow manage to cut his knee. 

_Glorious._

Jeremy wasted no time in cleaning the blood, disinfecting it (To which Michael hissed in pain at) and covering it with a...oh for the love of god…

A motherfucking Hello Kitty bandaid. 

“Now that that’s dealt with, I’ll get you some ice for that knee.” Jeremy said, voice a bit too upbeat. Michael glared at the silly band aid. He didn’t know if this was some joke, or that Jeremy probably had a little sister. Regardless, he _hates_ it. “Here you are!” Jeremy handed Mike the bag of ice. Mike wasted no time in pressing it to his knee. “Feel any better?” Jeremy asked. 

Michael scoffed, looking away. “Oh I feel something alright.” 

Jeremy snorted, playfully shoving him. “As long as it’s nothing gross.” He teased, making Michael flush a bit. 

“Who the hell would think about that?!” He hissed, earning a giggle. 

“Who knows.”

Mike wanted to slap that pretty face so badly. Instead, he shoved the ice back at Jeremy, slowly trying to lift himself back up. “Move it.” He shoved Jeremy out of the way, already trying to make his way back towards the front door. Jeremy quickly chased after him, grabbing a hold of Mike. 

“Wait!” He exclaimed, going so far as to pull Michael back towards the living room. “Look, whatever happened probably isn’t any of my business, but you can barely walk. Won’t you just stay a little longer? I promise I won’t ask any more of you.”

Michael wrenched his hand back, glaring down at Jeremy. “What more reason do I have to stay? There’s nothing for me here. I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. Don’t act like you’re my friend, it’s annoying.”

“Then _tell_ me. I _want_ to know _you,_ Afton. I’ve heard so many stories, but not from the accused himself!” Jeremy snapped back, grabbing a hold of Michael’s arm once again. 

“Well tough shit, because I don’t _want_ anything to do with _you_. You’re just like the rest of them!” Michael began to pull at his arm, causing Jeremy to hold on tighter. 

“Don’t act like you know me well enough to make that judgment, Afton!”

“Then don’t act like I’m anything but what people say I am!!”

At that, Jeremy released his grip, looking at Michael like the taller male had hit him. “You don’t actually-“

“Don’t actually what? Mean what I said?” Jeremy began to wring his hands, looking away. Michael scoffed, smoothing down his sweater. “Yeah, how’s it feel to be around a murderer, huh? Makes you sick, doesn’t it?” At that, Jeremy shrank in on himself. Michael shook his head. “It’s just curiosity, nothing more. In a month or two, I’ll just be another face in the crowd. Maybe if we’re both lucky, Gabriel will get bored with me, and you both can go bother someone else for a change.” Michael turned around, and began to head for the door. Jeremy just needed to forget whatever curious thoughts he had. It’s no use getting close to him. He only brings bad luck whether he goes. 

Yet, he doesn’t expect the hand that grabs his, forcing him to look down at the short blond. The fiery look of determination makes him shrink, chills running up his spine. “I want to hear it from you. I want word for word description of everything you did. I don’t want you to be another face in the crowd, Afton. This is much more than just simple curiosity, and I want to know.”

The lightest pink dusted his cheeks, and he quickly looked away from that strong gaze. He has dozens of thoughts racing through his head. Dozens of scenarios, outcomes, and so many more things, that he almost feels overwhelmed by it all. Yet, he somehow manages to speak up. He yanks his hand out of Jeremy’s squeezing them into fists as he glared more at Jeremy. “First of all,” he starts, pointing a finger at Jeremy. “You will not tell anyone we are talking, got it?” Jeremy nods. “Second, keep anything and everything we say private. If you break either of those rules, you’re looking for a cold day in hell at school. And lastly,” Michael takes a deep breath, letting it out in a strong sigh. “My name is Michael. Please stop calling me by my last name.”

The way the teen lights up at him, does so much to Michael’s heart. He isn’t sure how to really feel about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael tries to prove a point, which leads into getting in trouble, which that in turn leads him to just accept how he feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how not much of a story this is. It’s simple, gonna be short, and it doesn’t put stress on me to finish since I’m just sitting here enjoying myself when writing it. And I really appreciate all of the comments you guys leave! It really helps as well ^^
> 
> I’ve been busy since one of my jobs is freelance artist, but I managed to sneak in some writing time!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> -Mention of a form of self harm. 
> 
> It’s only once short sentence, and it’s not a typical form of self harm, so no blood, but I wanted to put a warning since it is stated as a form of bodily harm.

“So like, is it something you want to do again?”

“Please don’t ever ask me that again.”

“O-Oh uh, sorry.”

Michael sighed. Ever since he decided to get to know Jeremy, the other began to bug him _constantly._ He would leave before Jeremy’s parents arrive back home, and he ignored the blond’s presence at school. This all just seemed to make Jeremy more excited than he initially thought. The teen would force him to come and hang out. Well, everytime his parents weren’t home anyway. Michael made sure to make that crystal clear to the blond. Those days, Jeremy seemed to drag Gabriel to his house. Some...he doesn’t want to admit that some part of him is happy. Even if he does, he will deny it. Gabriel fucked him over, and because of that, he will keep denying the relief he feels at Gabe finding someone who didn’t seem to cause trouble. 

Michael let out a sigh. “It’s fine.” 

This seemed to be all that Jeremy needed. He leaned forward into Michael’s space, which in turn made the other lean back a bit. Luckily, his wounds don’t really hurt now. They’ve had time to heal. Time, and he’s been doing his best to stay on the down low, even if it meant attending class. Normally he wouldn’t care, but in order to keep the situation with his dad from repeating, and then having to find a way to explain it to Jeremy, he had to do what he could to not give his father an excuse to tower over him again. Easier than explaining, easier than worrying Henry. He can deal with his punishment from his father later. 

“Why does Gabe hate you so much? Since you’ve been in class a lot lately, he’s been making a lot of side comments.”

Michael pushed Jeremy back out of his space. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes in frustration. “We were friends when it happened. Him and our other friends egged me on, and then left me after it happened. I know they didn’t want it to happen, as much as I didn’t, but they were still there. Gabe denied ever even hanging out with me when he was questioned by the police.” Jeremy opened his mouth to respond, but Michael put a finger up. “And no I didn’t say they were part of it. I told the cops that I acted alone, and that they tried to stop me, but this contradicted Gabe and the other’s statements, which made everything more of a hassle than before. I just went along with what Gabe wanted, in the end…”

Mike looked away, a sorrowful expression lingering on his face. 

Jeremy frowned. He didn’t like that look on Michael’s face. Something about it really bugged him, but not in a bad way. More of in a way that made him want to hug the other, but he didn’t act upon this. “How _are_ you not in prison?” Jeremy softly asked. “I’ve heard a lot of weird stories about it…”

“My uh...My Uncle Henry vouched for me.” 

That sentence left a sour taste in his mouth. 

“He said that the robots are delicate. They aren’t advanced models, so what happened would have happened to anyone. He convinced them that it was all because of faulty robots. I don’t really know more than that, considering he’s the one that made them. If there is more based on that, I don’t know the story.”

Jeremy swallowed the lump in his throat. “And this happened at _’Fredbear’s Family Diner’_?”

“Yeah.”

They both seemed to go quiet after that. A heavy aura hung in the atmosphere, and it made both teenagers feel heavy. However, Jeremy found himself grabbing ahold of Michael’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Michael, I-“

“Jeremy, we’re home!”

Jeremy really didn’t expect his mom to pop in. Then again, his parents weren’t supposed to be home so early. 

“Oh, you have a friend over!” Grace says in a cheery voice, looking at Michael. “And a new one! Is he part of Gabe’s group?” She asked, popping further in. “Hello sweetie, I’m Grace Fitzgerald, Jeremy’s mom.”

Michael felt himself wanting to shut down. Even the way the woman extended her hand made him shake. Luckily, Jeremy seemed to have his head screwed on right. “Heeeyyy mom. We’re sort of busy, with boy stuff. Is it okay if we get back to it? Privacy is preferred.”

“Boy stuff? Since when were you so private~” She teased.

“Mom.” 

“Alright, alright. Have your little talk about girls, I’ll be downstairs with your father.” Grace turned to Michael. “Nice to meet you..?” She signaled Michael for a name. He pursed his lips, glancing away. 

“Michael..” he said softly. 

“Michael.” Mike didn’t like the way her brows creased a bit at the name. “Nice to meet you.” She still gave Mike a smile, before popping back out. 

“I’m sorry about that.” Jeremy apologized. Michael waved him off. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Mike said, getting up. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Jeremy quickly asked, getting up as well. 

“Leaving.”

“B-But Mike-“

“Jeremy, your parents are here. They won’t be happy with me here much longer.”

“How do you know that?” Jeremy demanded. “They don’t even know who you are, Mike.” The taller teen scoffed, crossing his arms. 

“Want me to show you? I can prove it. You’re the only one who’s weird, Fitzgerald.” Michael began to descend out of Jeremy’s room. The blond quickly followed after. 

“I really doubt my parents even know about what happened.” Jeremy defended. 

“And I bet that they do. Just watch and listen.”

This left a bad taste in Jeremy’s mouth. His parents were sitting at the table playing a card game when both boys appeared. Richard was the first to acknowledge them. “Hello you two! Michael, nice to meet you. I’m Richard Fitzgerald” he held a hand out towards Michael, who in turn took the hand. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Michael started, glancing at Jeremy, who knitted his brows at him. “I’m Michael Afton. Pardon my intrusion into your home, Jeremy invited me over.”

“ _Afton?_ ” Grace commented, to which Mike nodded politely. “Oh...Well, I-I see.”

“I see that Jeremy’s quite...eccentric with his company here..” Richard commented as well, trailing off. 

“He’s always been a bit too curious for our liking, haha…” Grace commented back. 

“It was really nice to meet you both. Unfortunately, my father wants me home. Please excuse me.”

Michael easily made his way to the front door, slipping on his shoes. Jeremy didn’t even get time to react before the teen quickly left. The way Mike marched out, he was proving a point. 

Jeremy didn’t like it. 

Jeremy’s heart ran cold. He could feel a panic attack wanting to start, or maybe it already did. He couldn’t quite tell. What he does know, is that his parents are immediately worried. They both rush over to him, trying to get him to calm down. Normally, he would ease into their comforting words. Normally he’d accept the parental love, devour the comments about how well he was doing. The head ruffles- but he couldn’t. He pushed right past them, making them more worried. He didn’t bother trying to pull his shoes on nor his jacket, instead just running outside into the cold. Luckily Mike hadn’t gone far, and he easily tackled him down. The taller boy let out a squeak as arms snaked around his waist, squeezing tightly. He could feel the way Jeremy’s face pressed into his back, rapid breaths sending small puffs of hot air through his thin sweater. Because even he likes to hurt himself. Even if he does it differently. 

“D-Don’t go!” Jeremy stutters out, squeezing harder. 

Michael tried to pull Jeremy off. “Let go.” He demands, pulling at the teen’s arms, only to have the shorter squeeze more. “I don’t understand why you’re acting like this! You barely know me, we-“

“I know a lot about you, Mike!” Jeremy defended, making the taller boy upset. 

Michael turned around, facing the shorter teen, who finally loosened his grip, pulling back. Michael got into Jeremy’s face, gripping the collar of his shirt. “You don’t know Jack shit!” Michael snapped. “Just because you forced me to hang out with you, doesn’t mean that you _know_ me. I’m not your friend, I’m just some guy that you won’t stop bugging!” Michael seethed through grit teeth. 

“Hey!”

Michael heard Jeremy’s mother snap as both her and her husband came rushing over. Michael flinched, shoving Jeremy back, making him stumble. Jeremy made a small pained noise as he landed hard on the road, but he didn’t hesitate to reach a hand out towards Michael. “M-Mike-“

“Jeremy!” Grace yelped, running over to his side, and checking him over. He knew that his dad would start to interrogate Mike next. He looked towards the pale boy, and Michael seemed to catch on from his look, and tried to rush off. Unfortunately, Richard caught hold of him, pulling him towards Grace. 

_’This is a disaster.’_ Jeremy thought, trying to push his mom’s hands away. “I’m fine.” He tried stating, getting up. “It’s fine, just let Mike go.”

“No, it’s not fine.” Richard interjected, looking at Michael. “We are calling your parents-“

“No!” Michael snapped in fear, biting his bottom lip a bit. He didn’t like the look of concern the man gave him, despite being upset with him. “My father is busy. I don’t have a mom, you won’t get a hold of anyone.” He tried saying, making the man shake his head. “Then I’ll do my damn best to get a hold of your dad!” Michael sighed. 

“Dad, I said it’s fine. Mike didn’t mean anything by what happened.” Jeremy tried, but it went ignored. 

“We are all going to head inside, sit down, and talk about all of this.” Richard demanded, dragging Michael back towards the house. Grace didn’t hesitate in dragging Jeremy back either. Both boys sat at the table, shoulder to shoulder, as Richard held his cell phone to his ear, waiting for the line to pick up. Michael didn’t give them his fathers number. Instead, he opted for Henry’s. At least Henry would just give him a normal punishment..

“Ah!” Richard exclaimed, causing Michael to sink down in his chair. “Hello Mr. Afton, my name is Richard Fitzgerald, Jeremy’s father.” The use of his last name made Michael’s blood run cold, but logic told him that he was mistaking Henry for his dad. Henry tended to get mistaken as his dad a lot by those who didn’t know them. “You see, Mr. Afton,” _oof…_ “Michael starting beating around on Jeremy-“

“That is _not_ what happened!” Jeremy snapped, getting a look from his mother, who placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“We can bring him to you, if you wish Sir…Are you sure? Well thank you, Sir! We will see you soon! Our address is...” Michael tuned out the rest. He knew that while the punishment would be tame, he would feel guilty for upsetting Henry. He doesn’t like seeing that look of disappointment from Henry, is manages to strike harder than his father. 

Jeremy nudged him with his knee, causing Michael to look at him. “Sorry.” Jeremy whispered, while his parents discussed what to do. Michael stared at him for a long moment, before giving a sigh. 

“Yeah...me too.” Michael tried, making Jeremy lean closer, waiting to see if he’d continue. Michael looked away, a light blush grazing his cheeks. “I’m sorry for worrying you and your parents. And...and trying to prove a dumb point. I’m sorry, Jeremy..” the brunette whispered back, earning a smile from the blond, and another knee nudge. Michael smiled ever so slightly, nudging Jeremy back. 

Jeremy didn’t seem to live far from Henry’s. In less then five minutes, Mr. Emily was knocking at the Fitzgerald’s front door. Richard didn’t hesitate to let him in, greeting him, Henry doing the same back, before walking up to Michael. Jeremy was rather confused by the lack of resemblance between both Henry and Michael. They seemed like total opposites to him. But this is who Michael said his father is?

“Michael,” Henry started, and there was that look of disappointment. Michael seemed to shrink at the look, Jeremt noticed, and looked back to the other man, who crossed his arms. 

Jeremy swallowed the nerves building up in his throat. “It was an accident, Sir.” Jeremy tried, earning a soft look from Henry. 

“Grabbing you and shoving you down counts as an accident, how?” Grace tried. 

“I over stepped my boundaries!” Jeremy easily defended. “He wanted to go home, and I bothered him about staying. It’s my fault, he was just overwhelmed. Michael almost couldn’t believe that Jeremy was still defending him. He’s...he doesn’t know how to feel about this. He didn’t know how to feel with Henry, and he doesn’t know how to feel about this. He doesn’t _get_ it at all. 

The worried look Henry gives Michael, makes the teen look away, sweat beginning to form. To him, the look was more than concern. Adults have given him that look before. They’ve claimed that he’s threatened kids to keep quiet or defend him. All he’s done is punch some of Gabe’s friends for them being douche nozzles. Him and Gabe have tussled many times before. Sure he lets the boy beat up on him, but he lets Gabe know when he’s had enough. They’ve had this dynamic since the...he doesn’t want to refer to it as an accident. It really didn’t feel like one. That’s what Henry calls it, but it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. 

Gabriel may beat him up, but he stops when Mike hits back. He has an understanding of when he’s crossed the line. Everyone else never stops. 

Michael isn’t sure if it’s stress, or something more, but he can feel tears pricking at his eyes. He doesn’t like how stupidly weak he is all of a sudden. He also doesn’t like the fact that Jeremy could catch him crying. The feeling isn’t the same as is with everyone else, but he knows it’s close to how he feels when he ends up crying around Henry. He feels ashamed for cracking, embarrassed, but okay at the same time. He forced himself to boil it down to the weird kindness Jeremy has shown him. 

“Mike,” Henry tries again, voice gentle. “Could you apologize to Jeremy?” He doesn’t force him. He’s asking if he would. Michael isn’t stupid, he knows it’s to deflate the situation. He can see Jeremy wanting to open his mouth, but he stops him with a gentle hand to the thigh. He knows Jeremy’s parents aren’t looking there, but it doesn’t stop the slight embarrassment he feels about touching the boy’s thigh. He draws his hand away, cheeks darkening a bit. 

“I’m sorry, Jeremy. I shouldn’t have done that, my behavior was unacceptable. I hope that you aren’t hurt..” he doesn’t mean to trail off, but it happens. But so does the hand that rests on his back from Jeremy. The gentle hand that rubs circles into his lower back is all too real. It sends a shiver up his spine, but it isn’t a bad one. He finally gives in to what he’s feeling in that moment. He’s not dumb, he just doesn’t really want to acknowledge it, because of previous negativity towards the situation. He may be young, but he’s aware of what a crush is. He wouldn’t really call this a crush, but a form of infatuation. He had the same problem with Gabriel a while back, but his father used it as a way to put him down. However, only because it was him. He knows that if Mari or Lizzie had these feelings for someone, he wouldn’t have said a word. 

He knows just how fucked he is. Jeremy wasn’t flirting. His parents are loving, they show love physically and verbally. He’s just trying to help Mike feel better. Mike knows _exactly_ why he gained this. It’s because of Jeremy simply showing him affection, and he latched onto it. Henry showed him some form of kindness, and he knows he’s done the same, which is why he’s purposely pushed the man back many times. While he never gained those sorts of feelings towards the man, he gained want. Want for a parental figure like Jeremy’s parents. 

“It’s fine.” Jeremy says, smiling at him. “I’m sorry for making you feel overwhelmed.”

He can hear the noise of frustration from Jeremy’s parents at the fact that their son is apologizing. Michael genuinely understands. They happened to walk out to him practically pushing Jeremy down. He knew they wouldn’t be this upset if they had seen Jeremy practically holding him in place prior. It doesn’t help that they know what he did. 

Henry smiled at the two boys, going as far as to ruffle their heads, causing Jeremy to giggle (god that laugh always managed to make him feel a bit giddy) and Michael blush from embarrassment and happiness. “There!” He said happily. “I think there was just a misunderstanding, Michael isn’t really one to fight without a reason.” 

Mike glanced up nervously at Henry. He doesn’t like the fact that Henry is defending him on that. 

“I am also sorry.” Henry continues, looking to Jeremy’s parents. “I hope that we can get along. You’re the new family that moved in, correct?” 

“Yes, though it’s been a month, we haven’t quite settled in.” Grace commented, seeming to have eased up. Henry always had that charm. Not through words, more so through appearance. She held out her hand for Henry to shake. “Grace Fitzgerald.” She commented, grabbing ahold of Henry’s rough hand, giving it a firm shake. 

“And I’m Richard Fitzgerald.” Richard easily slides in, easing down with the calm atmosphere as well. Henry easily grabbed a hold of his hand firmly, the other chuckling. Mike was sure it had something to do with men, and always having that strong grip. He didn’t really get it, didn’t bother to ever get it. He just knows that Henry wants him to practice for when he gets a job. 

Mike always cringes at that. He doesn’t like the idea of growing up, really. 

“Henry Emily! It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Emily? Is Afton his mother’s last name?” Grace questioned, earning a nervous smile from Henry. 

“No, no. Afton is Michael’s father’s last name. I am his second guardian when Will is busy.” 

Jeremy glanced up at Michael at this, but the Brit avoided his gaze by looking away. 

“We co-own Freddy’s, though he deals with business and I deal with, well, the children. He’s a lot more busy these days…”

“I..see.” Grace smiled nervously back, but didn’t say more about it than that. “I hope we can get along, Mr. Emily. Thank you for coming here and dealing with the situation.”

And the friendly chatter between the three seemed to carry on. 

“Mike.” Jeremy whispered, only to get no answer. He nudged the boy with his hand. “Mike, is that why you said your dad would worry about you? Because he’s busy?” Jeremy questioned, only to receive no answer. Jeremy huffed a bit, shaking Michael a bit more. “C’mon Mike, I think it’s sweet. You just didn’t want him to worry, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Mike muttered, wrapping his arms around himself. Jeremy pressed against him more. 

“What’s wrong?” The blond teen asked. 

Mike looked towards Jeremy. Those green eyes looked so gentle when looking at him. He sighed. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I’m just tired.”

He knew Jeremy wouldn’t believe that. Everything about tonight sucked. His stupid acceptance sucked, getting in trouble sucked, and being grounded from the television by Henry would suck. Next thing he knows, he’ll do what he can to stay awake by doing dumb cross words, because he can sway Henry if he just follows the rules. He will get to watch his soaps again in less than two days if he just obeys. At least Henry liked to quietly sit with him in the morning while they both drank coffee. 

Maybe he’s supposed to be more upset about getting his television privileges taken away. Maybe he’s supposed to have more of a midlife crisis about his infatuation towards Jeremy. Maybe he’s supposed to be going through some deep emotional turmoil, to acceptance, to something more, but he’s not only too tired for that, he’s lazy. What’s the point in getting bent out of shape about it? He barely knows Jeremy, and he kind of likes him, so what? The only thing that would make him feel complicated about it, is if he stupidly kissed the teen. He’s not impulsive towards things like that, so he’s not going to stress about it. He has better things to stress about. 

Jeremy holds his hand, causing him to blush. 

Well, he’s really fucked now, isn’t he?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael wants to hold Jeremy’s hand. 
> 
> Jeremy doesn’t know what he wants. 
> 
> William is still an asshole™️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I’m caught up on art commissions I might draw some scenes from my story. 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS:  
> -slight physical abuse  
> -emotional manipulation  
> -over all toxic behavior  
> -slight sexual content, but it’s not like it’s bad, but just in case any of you don’t wanna read the sexual content, you know it’s there, and can just skip through it. It’s only two small sections.

Getting the television taken away sucked major ass. 

Having to gently tip toe around Jeremy’s parents sucked major ass. 

Jeremy’s face looking more cute by the second sucked major ass. 

Jeremy’s ass looking more squeezable than it should also sucked major _ass,_ but here we are. 

He blames it on teenage hormones. His feelings for Gabriel happened before hormones attacked him so violently, so the thought of touching Gabe’s dick never really occurred to him first. However, holding his hand appeared many times. Thoughts about his dick came later. That’s right d-bags, he lusted after a friend, get over it. 

The situation became the complete opposite with Jeremy. Mike found himself wanting to grope Jeremy a bit. He kept his hands to himself, of course, but then his eyes would travel across the teen more, and he found himself stupidly drooling a little. This made him feel more embarrassed and stupid about the whole situation. Sex is normal for kids his age, he’s heard enough stories. Yet it was only stories like _“Josh totally scored Amber’s pussy! Josh said she was super soft and wet and”_ blah blah _**blah.**_ Cool, vaginas are soft inside. 

...Okay so women are pretty, Michael knows that much. Yet, the thought of touching anything below the belt made him anxious. He liked their breasts, but that’s as far as his curiosity went with females. He doesn’t really get what it is. Maybe he’s bi? But he feels if he was, he’d be more interested in what they got down below. He wonders if it’s more of a preference in guys, but girlish looks, but that also didn’t make sense. Gabe was anything but soft. The kid had bones that seemed to stab you if you pressed against him the wrong way, yet he wasn’t exactly a twig either. 

Sexuality is confusing. He’d rather just say his sexuality is Jeremy. That seemed more basic to admit to. 

Jeremy with his fluffy blond hair that framed his face. Those big green, gentle eyes. Those soft hands that always sent shivers up Mike’s spine, causing his heart to race. He wants to feel those hands on him. He wants Jeremy to take his dick out, and-

NOW WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE!

Michael huffs, rubbing his eyes roughly. He stifles a yawn, leaning his head on his hand. His arm is propped up against the arm of the couch, and he’s tying his best to stay awake, but failing epically. He stares blankly at the television a bit longer, before hearing a soft giggle from Jeremy. He couldn’t help but bite his lip, watching the boy’s look of both amazement, and wonder. They were watching some comedy movie, but lack of sleep is once again catching up with Mike. It was bound to happen eventually. His body has to break down at some point, and this just happened to be his warning that it would happen once again. He just needed to make sure he’s at home before trying to fight sleep. His goal right now: Go as long as he can, until he can’t stay awake anymore. Or, it _was_ until his body began to fight him to just sleep already. He stifled another yawn, squeezing his eyes tightly, before forcing them back open. It’s then that his eyes start to droop, and he finds himself forcing them back open. He even goes as far as to bite his tongue until he tastes copper. This manages to work for a short bit, before his head is falling off of his hand, startling him awake. Jeremy seems to notice this, and glances over at the taller teen. 

“Are you alright, Mike?” Jeremy asks. 

Michael sighs, sitting up. He pinches his nose, rubbing his eyelids. “Yeah, just tired.” He says causing Jeremy to knit his brows. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t passed out earlier. You look terrible.” Jeremy comments, making Mike snort. 

“I know I’m not pretty, but thanks for the confirmation.” 

He sees how flustered Jeremy gets at this, and he forces himself to hold back a giggle. “You’re pretty!” Jeremy defends, leaning towards Mike. “Your hair is soft, and your eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue that I’ve ever seen!”

Okay, so this backfired on Mike, because now he was blushing and looking away. “I was kidding Fitzgerald.” He grit his teeth, wishing he could shrink in on himself. 

“O-Oh, uh...sorry.” Jeremy awkwardly says, rubbing the back of his neck, and looking away. He tries to focus on the television again, but finds that he can’t, much like Michael can’t.

Now they’re both sitting there, unable to focus on the movie in front of them. Michael isn’t sure what to do, but despite everything, his eyes begin trying to shut once more, making his head bob a bit. No amount of biting or digging his jagged nails into his palms is able to keep him awake. He isn’t sure if he’s lucky, or just being punished at this point, but Jeremy pulls him down gently, trying to rest Mike’s head on his lap. “W-Wait,” Michael sputters tiredly, but unable to really resist. The lap below his head feels exactly like a teenage boy’s thighs. Not exactly squishy and soft like a female’s, but not uncomfortable either. 

“You said you have nightmares sometimes when you sleep right? I heard that when you lay with someone, they won’t appear.”

That sounds like the biggest bullshit that Mike’s ever heard, but you bet your ass he’s going to roll with it. 

“Whatever.” He says, accepting his fate whole heartedly. He loves how close he is to Jeremy. Jeremy feels as soft as his face looks, and even his scent feels soft, if that’s even possible. He unconsciously pulls his body into as much of a fetal position as he can with how awkwardly tall he is, and he doesn’t mean to nuzzle Jeremy’s thighs, but he does. He doesn’t want to fall asleep, but he can’t fight it either. He knows he’s still going to have a nightmare, but if he just closes his eyes for even just a little, it’ll be easier to force himself awake later. 

Just, a little...more..sleep…

A hand rests on his shoulder, and another seems to find the confidence to start petting his head as he’s on the verge of going into deep slumber. The hand on his head is what sends him in. 

When Jeremy heard Michael’s breathing even out, he couldn’t help the soft smile that grazed his lips. The only thing Michael’s mentioned, is that he doesn’t sleep that well due to nightmares. Jeremy doesn’t have many, but he feels like he can understand. The boy does always seem stressed. 

Michael’s hair is super soft. Jeremy loves the way his fingers get lightly tangled in his hair. He tries to resist the urge to lightly touch Michael’s face. But he also resists the urge to do more than what he is in the first place. It feels almost taboo, like he’s crossing a line. Not a line of morals, but a line of personal space. He doesn’t know how affectionate Michael’s dad is in the first place. He hasn’t mentioned much, however. Any he did, it was from when they first met, and every time he’s just waved it off. 

Jeremy’s hand stops. He looks more closely at Michael. He can see drool wanting to escape Mike’s lips. The soft snores that quickly escape the teen almost made Jeremy surprised at how fast he fell asleep. He wiped the spit from Mike’s cheek, and let his hand rest on his arm. He focuses his eyes back to the television, simply trying to watch the movie. It has about an hour left, but that would make enough time for Michael to get some form of rest before he headed home. 

Jeremy wants to force himself to focus on the movie, but he’s not sure if he even can. He can smell the honey scented shampoo wafting from Mike’s hair, and it’s oddly intoxicating. His green eyes shift downwards, and they land on Michael’s face. He slowly brings a hand towards the soft, lightly freckled cheek, finger lightly caressing Mike’s cheekbone. Jeremy’s eyes dart to see if Mike had stirred, but he was relieved to see that he hadn’t. Jeremy bit his lip, sliding his finger across Mike’s bags, to his nose, and down to his lips. He could feel how hot his cheeks began to get, and he bit his lips even harder. He let out a puff of air through his nose, finally mustering up the courage to touch Mike’s lips. 

They are super soft. Despite the slight scabs from Michael biting at his lips, they are soft. Jeremy is quick to yank his hand away, focusing only on the television. He tries to force himself to forget that Michael is even there. What brings him back to reality, is when he feels the boy twitch. His eyes glide back down, and he can see the uncomfortable look on Michael’s face. He pats the teen’s arm, and Mike’s face softens once again. Of course, upon stopping his motions, Mike seemed to whine in his sleep again. Jeremy knit his brows, looking back down at Michael, who began to shake and kick in his sleep. Noises of distress half hazardously escaped his lips, and he began to whimper more. Jeremy quickly began to rub the boy’s shoulders. He doesn’t really know if it’s helping, until Michael quiets down all together. Jeremy decides that he’d rather help Mike than watch the movie at this point. 

In fact, it gave him time to finally admire the male on top of him. The lightest dust of freckles across his face. He never would have noticed the fainting freckles if he weren’t this close in the first place. He also wouldn’t have noticed the small scar that ran from the middle of Michael’s neck up to the bottom part of his chin. Even the little mole that rested on the corner of his neck, like a small beauty mark. 

Jeremy could feel his heart pounding, cheeks flushed. A part of him wishes that Michael were awake. He wants to stare into those deep blue eyes. He wants to see that soft tint smile graze his lips. He sort of wants Mike to wake up. 

As if almost on cue, Michael’s eyes pop open. The movie is over, and blue eyes meet green. “Heyo!” Jeremy squeaks out, almost not believing that he spent all of this time looking, touching, and even _thinking_ about Mike to the point time passed by that fast.

“...I slept?” He questioned, almost like he couldn’t believe it had happened in the first place. “How long was I out?” 

“Around an hour. The movie is already finished, though.” Jeremy responded, watching Mike burry his face into Jeremy’s legs. A blush rose to the blond’s face at this. 

“...Did I kick or scream?” He asked shyly, still hiding. 

“You did for a moment, but stopped right away when I..er, rubbed your arm.” His blush darkened. 

_’He rubbed my arm- holy shit he touched me so intimately!’_ Michael thought. He wondered if it was a coincidence, or something more. If he knows one thing, it’s not the ease of guilt. He still feels guilty for killing his brother. He feels guilty for worrying Henry, for upsetting Jeremy’s parents, and more. But actually sleeping peacefully...it wasn’t long, but he feels like he actually got some rest. Even Henry couldn’t fix his nightmare problem, as much as he tried. Michael is still grateful for him wanting to try. But Jeremy...Jeremy had the power. The power to stop them. All but simply rubbing his arm. 

_‘Grab ahold, and don’t let him go.’_

The thought almost felt like a toxic trait, but another part of him tried to rationalize that it wasn’t. The third part being his brain, gave a loud obnoxious tone of _‘STEAL HIS HEART NOW.’_ Which no, impossible. Michael can be anything but nice and romantic. They simply weren’t part of his personality, and he can’t just slip them in. Sooooo what’s the next best thing?

…

Michael sat up, making Jeremy stiffen. The blond’s flush darkened even more at the intense stare that Michael gave him. “W-What?” Jeremy asked, smoothing down his button up, green eyes focused. 

Mike swallowed. “I want to do something.” Is all the warning Michael gave, before climbing on top of Jeremy’s lap, facing the teen. The position looked rather awkward, especially with how much shorter Jeremy is compared to him, but he just knew that if he didn’t sit on the blond, that he might fuck this up, and make the other want to escape. No, right now he’s trying his best to swoon the blond. 

He has no idea what he’s doing. 

“M-M-Mike!” Jeremy practically shrieked, blush extending to his ears and down his neck. His hands scrambled everywhere. From Michael’s hips, to his sides, to his shoulders, and back before finally resting on his arms. “W-What are you doing?!”

It’s Mike’s turn to blush. “I don’t know! I’m just trying to...to, you know!” Mike snapped back, hands also awkwardly moving around, not sure where to be placed. 

“No I don’t!” Jeremy bit his bottom lip, and Michael’s eyes honed in on that. It finally gave him an idea, and he easily brought his hand up to Jeremy’s cheek, trying to pull his lip free. Upon getting what he wanted, he got more embarrassed. “Are you gonna kiss me?” Jeremy dumbly asked, causing Mike’s head to spin. 

“I don’t know!...maybe!” He responded stupidly.

“Do you even know how to kiss?”

“Do _you_ know how to kiss Fitzgerald?”

“No!”

Michael’s heart seemed to pound out of his chest. “Neither do I, but I’m doing it anyway!”

“Okay, then uh, do it I guess.”

With the awkwardly announced confirmation, Michael pressed his lips to- well, actually, he missed the blond’s lips and hit his cheek, making Jeremy not only wheeze a bit in laughter, but his heart thump faster. “That was amazing!” He teased, though still embarrassed. 

“Sh-Shut up!” Michael snapped. “It was my first time, I bet you-“

Jeremy grabbed Michael’s head with his hands, pulling the teen’s lips to his. Michael gave a surprised noise, but attempted to kiss back. They didn’t do more than that, simply feeling each other’s lips. Michael noticed that despite how often Jeremy unconsciously but his lips, they were still soft. 

Jeremy pulled back “We tongue each other right? That’s how it went down in that-“

“If you say porno, I’m leaving.”

“...So we tongue each other?”

“It’s called French kissing.” Michael snapped. 

“We wrestle now right?” 

Michael felt himself wanting to explode, but instead forced Jeremy’s mouth open, shoving his tongue into the boy. They both choked a little at the action, but soon managed to fall into some sort of rhythm. Michael knew something about dominance, but he didn’t really care to figure out how when Jeremy’s tongue was pressing against his in all of the right ways. Even when he began to feel spit dribble out the corner of his mouth, and had a hard time breathing he loved it. When they did finally have to pull apart, Michael was acutely aware of how much they both sucked at kissing. They sucked, they were untalented, both obviously such virgins, and Michael loved it. It was innocent. It was new, innocent, and made Michael feel nice for once. 

While he could have ended up making one of the most horrible decisions of his life, just the fact that Jeremy tried it back made it worthwhile. Even if Jeremy didn’t think he could ever come to like Mike, Mike was perfectly fine with that. He got to feel some form of comfort, peace, and adventure for once without getting beaten down by his father. 

Michael’s pants were a little tight, and his breathing was rather labored. His half lidded eyes stared longingly at Jeremy’s green. Neither of them said a word, but Jeremy did shift his hands down to Michael’s hips, causing a shiver to snake up Mike’s spine. “B-Be careful!” Mike said in a breathy whisper, legs trembling a bit. He wanted to be touched by Jeremy, but felt that was too far. He knew that it would be the same as masterbating, but he didn’t want to further ruin what they had going. 

“Sorry.” Jeremy dumbly said, hand rubbing Michael’s thigh now. 

“Gh!” Michael gasped, grabbing Jeremy’s hand. “W-What did I just say?!” He snapped, brows knitted together. 

“Uh no touchy?” Jeremy tried, barely registering Michael’s anger. The only thing he could focus on, is how badly he wanted to move his hand closer to the inner part of Mike’s thigh. 

“And what are you doing?”

“...Touching you.”

“Yes! Now Ah!” Michael lurched forward, clinging onto Jeremy. The smaller teen had completely ignored him, instead grazing Mike’s hard on. “Jeremy, I’m serious!”

Jeremy reluctantly moved his hand, now resting it on Mike’s hip. “Sorry, it’s just…”

Michael pulled back. “Just what, asshole?”

“It’s just that you look really cute right now, and I couldn’t resist.”

A puff of hot air seemed to hit Mike all at once. His entire face had gone red, and he hid it in Jeremy’s shoulder. “Sh-Shut up!” He complained, hands squeezing Jeremy’s shoulders. He knit his brows, nuzzling the crook of Jeremy’s neck now. 

“...Hey Mike?” The blond asked, arms wrapping loosely around Mike. 

“What?” Michael asked, turning his head ever so slightly. 

“I don’t really know if I like you, but do you want to kiss again?”

Michael let out a sigh. “...Yeah.”

And that’s how they found themselves trying this out. 

——

They’ve been doing stuff like that night for a few weeks now. 

Michael’s father has been oddly quiet. He’s also been spending more time with Lizzie, but he doesn’t particularly care. She’s always been his favorite. All he knows is how upset Henry is, but the man hasn’t said more than _‘He has another child, he’s being selfish.’_

Of course, this wasn’t said directly to him. It was actually something that Mike overheard. He could hear Henry quietly snapping at someone, he guessed his father based off of the sentence. 

But what scares Michael the most, is that his father hasn’t laid a hand on him. He’s used to at least being thrown around a little, even if it’s just a couple of knocks rounds. He hasn’t been invited back home since the last time, and he hasn’t spoken to his father at all. He’s been stuck at Henry’s. He’s been having to babysit Charlie and Sammy when Henry is busy, he’s been helping them with school, helping with chores, dinner, the list goes on. It feels almost surreal to be living such a peaceful life. Like something is giving him a taste of paradise, before they rip it away all at once. 

He’s able to forget about the fear of what is to come, when Jeremy is with him. When they press their lips together, any lingering thought vanishes. They haven’t touched each other more than before. They’ve fondled each other a bit, but never advanced. The closest they’ve gotten to sexual stuff, is when Michael had pressed Jeremy against a wall, grinding against him. Sexual frustration had built up fast. Not being able to do anything more than kiss hasn’t helped that. He had locked Jeremy in place, dominating him. Just the way his hand fit perfectly against Jeremy’s arched back was enough to make him flustered. The noises that escaped him did everything to him. 

Something he personally enjoyed, is when the blond teased him just as he was about to climax. Jeremy had dragged Michael into his room, pushing the brunette onto the bed, and seeming to tower over him. He had pinned Michael down, and used him to finish. This feeling of being used had excited him. The way Jeremy whispered about how beautiful he was excited him. It was enough to make him grab Jeremy’s hips, and mess with how sensitive the smaller teen was at the time. He loved the little squeaks that escaped his lips. 

That was all of the fun stuff. Maybe they haven’t gotten completely naked and gone all the way, but all of the fondling is fun. The hard stuff is attempting to hold Jeremy’s hand casually without wimping out. He wanted to hold Jeremy’s hand. He just wanted to hold it, and sit with him, but he couldn’t even do that without getting too embarrassed. He wants to say that since Jeremy hasn’t even admitted that he likes him, that it should be easy, but it only gets harder. Like he wanted to impress Jeremy more to make the blond like him back. 

“Your father wants you to come home tonight.”

Michael is snapped out of his thoughts. He looks up at Uncle Henry, and the look of relief has him worried. “He said he wants to spend some time with you. I was worried he’d never-“ Henry clears his throat. “Anyway, we will be leaving in 20 or so. Feel free to pack anything that you want here before coming back.”

Michael’s blood ran cold. A part of him wants to ask _‘Do I have to?’_ But then that would alert Henry to something. He wonders if he can just deal and then leave. Or even sneak away. He’d have to find a way to not alert Henry when going in, and then quickly leave. The man always waits for him to safely get inside before pulling out. Sometimes he wishes that Henry wasn’t so sweet. 

It only occurs to him as he forces himself inside of Henry’s car, that his little sister is technically with their father. If he stays by Elizabeth the whole time, then he can avoid any punishment from their father. He has never laid a hand on him in front of her or even Mari when...when he was still alive. If he can just do this, he can go back to Henry’s without even a mark. Relief fills him as he buckles up. He’s able to relax the whole ride over, and even when they park, He’s able to go inside without as much fear as before. He immediately locates his little sister at the couch, and he doesn’t hesitate to sit by her, giving her a smile, though awkward. “Hey.” He says. 

She gives him a look, no doubt still harboring anger. He’s happy when she simply leaves any anger at that. “Hi.” She says, looking back to the television. “I didn’t know that you were coming home.” She comments, smoothing out her pink skirt. The one he picked out for her. 

“Father wanted me home.” He says. He doesn’t like the slight worried look she has. 

“...O-Oh.”

She goes quiet after that. Any amount of confidence that Michael had, seemed to simply drain out of him in an instant. He could feel his blood run cold immediately. 

“Lizzie-“

“Michael!” He hears his father call from his room. His shoulders hunch, and he glances towards the hallway. 

He swallows the saliva in his throat, before looking at his little sister. “...Want to come with me?” He asks, a small begging tone in his voice. 

She seems to hesitate, fingers tapping together, before seeming to give in. “Okay.” She simply says, getting up with him. Michael can’t stop himself from lightly grabbing the back of her shirt, but she doesn’t stop him either. They trudge all the way to their father’s room, and they find him sitting on the bed, vest discarded over the dresser, button up buttoned except the first two. 

He notices his father gear up to talk to him as usual, but seems to stop when he notices his sister. “...Welcome home.” He says instead. Michael feels some relief wash over him. He silently thanks his sister for staying with him, and even choosing to go with him as well. Though, the relief doesn’t last long. “Come, sit.” His father says, thinking Michael will detach from his sister and obey. What he doesn’t expect, is when Elizabeth follows her older brother into the room. Mike can see the way his jaw clenched. “Elizabeth,” William starts, hands clenching. “Please allow your father and brother some privacy.”

“...” she doesn’t say anything, nor does she leave. Michael thinks his plan just might work. He clenched Elizabeth’s shirt tighter, and he can see his father wanting to get mad, before his own eyes shift to focus on Michael’s neck. Michael is immediately aware of the hickey on his neck. The one that he did cover up, since Henry didn’t notice, but apparently hasn’t stayed covered within some time of then and now. 

Now he’s just waiting for his father to snap. The man seems as stoic as ever, and Michael starts to wonder if keeping up appearances in front of Elizabeth is a big deal to him. She’s seen him yell, she’s seen him snap at Michael. Why isn’t he saying anything more to her?

He watches his father sigh, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Liz,” he starts, pressing his hands together. Michael thinks that he’s about to be more stern with her, but he begins to worry at the next part. “Do you want to stay?” He instead asks, his sister nodding. He gives another sigh, patting the other side of him. “Sit.” He says, and suddenly Michael has to let go of his sister so that she can sit behind their father, William in the middle. She does as she’s told, and Michael has a strike of hope that this is working. He hasn’t snapped, surely it’s doing _something._ “Michael,” his father now says, opening his hands “Come.” Is all he has to say. Michael finally takes the few steps over towards their father, and when he feels his dad push his shoulders down, it’s a signal to get onto his knees. He hesitates for a moment, before obeying. His father proceeds to lightly touch the mark on his neck. The touch is feather light, and he almost can’t feel it. 

“Would you care to explain?” His father finally asks, hand resting on his shoulder. 

“...”

Michael chooses not to say a word. He'd rather not get Jeremy involved anyhow. He knew that it wasn’t a smart idea. Just the way his father fists the collar of his shirt is enough to indicate that. “Michael.” The way he said his name sent shivers up his spine. He can hear how he’s trying to level his voice, while still seething that dark, cold tone through. He takes a brief glance at Elizabeth. He can see her worry. She’s aware that Michael gets yelled at, but he isn’t sure if she knows about just _how physical_ their father gets with him. 

He’s briefly reminded of a time that his father did lay a hand on her. Of course, that resulted in Michael himself getting more of the anger after stepping in. Maybe she’s not as satisfying to hit, he doesn’t know. 

He stays quiet. His father has a shorter fuse than usual tonight. Normally he’d drag in the verbal abuse a bit longer, but it seems that something really irked him. He stands up, pulling Michael close to his face, choking him on his collar. “I heard that you picked a fight with some kid.” Michael had to do a double take for a moment. His father only knows _now?_ Henry never bothered to tell him until now?

He isn’t sure if he’s grateful or scared. 

“What fight?” Michael tests. He wants to break the full illusion Lizzie has. He wants her to see just how mean their dad can be. 

“The one Henry told me about. He said you pushed a kid around.” 

Michael isn’t surprised at how calm his father is acting. However, it makes some anger whel up inside of him. “I didn’t shove him around.” Michael defended. “It was a misunderstanding.” He-...why was he trying so hard to explain himself? What would he accomplish actually trying to explain the situation to his father? Michael crossed his arms, looking away. “This always happens. Ever since that day…” Michael trails off. He feels his father loosen his grip on his shirt. What he doesn’t expect, is the caress on his cheek. His eyes snap right back to William’s face. Those blue eyes still held an icy gaze. 

“Poor Mari.” William comments, fingers still rubbing Michael’s cheek. Michael can’t help but break out into a cold sweat. “Even when the months go by, you’re all that’s on everyone’s mind.” 

Mike feels like his heart is about to thump right out of his chest. He can’t handle this atmosphere, whatever his father is doing. He can’t take it, and he wants out. His senses are practically yelling: _’run.’_

Michael doesn’t hesitate to listen, trying hard to get up and leave, but his father forces him back down. 

Michael swears his heart stopped beating the moment his father gripped his face hard in his hand. He could see Elizabeth get up, like she could actually do something about it. His hands grappled for purchase on William’s arms, and he squeezed hard. “You _really_ like to rub salt in the wounds, don’t you Michael?” his dad questions, fingers digging into his skin harder. “You’re just like your goddamned _mother!_ ” He seethed into Michael’s face. “Always taking, taking, and _taking._ ”

“F-Father!” Lizzie gasped, grabbing a hold of his shirt. 

William grit his teeth hard, squeezing Michael’s face even harder before letting him go. Michael ripped himself away, falling back onto his rear. His hands pressed against his face, cradling it. He’s immediately worried about bruising, but hopefully his sister managed to make their dad stop just in time. Michael can tell how badly his father wants to roughly shove Elizabeth away, yet he gently plucks her hand off, before gently letting it go. Of course, he doesn’t hesitate to get right back into his face, index finger on his hand pressing hard into the exposed hickey on Michael’s neck. “Better get rid of them fast or you’ll find yourself being buried in a ditch soon, boy.” His father almost growls into his face. He finally thinks that maybe, maybe it’s over. Even when his father’s hand retracts, he thinks that it’s over. His plan to have his sister there worked. He almost can’t believe it even did. 

Only it’s not. 

It looked as if it was a last minute decision on his dad’s part. Like all composure had left him, and he became a different person almost in Elizabeth’s eyes. He grabbed a hold of Michael’s hair, forcing him to stand up. A yelp escapes his lips, and he has no time to ground himself as his father begins to pull him along beside him out of the room. “Mikey!” Lizzie gasps chasing them down. She even goes as far as to keep tugging at William’s shirt, begging him to let Michael go. Tears immediately whell up in her green eyes, and Michael doesn’t like to see her cry. He hates it when Lizzie cries, it always breaks his heart. 

Michael goes as far as to start clawing at William, even reaching for his face. The action throws their father off just as they round the corner to the kitchen. He curses, pulling harder on Michael. “Fucking brat!” He seethes, making his way for the basement. 

The cold air that hits his face causes him to almost piss himself in fear. Coming down here meant the punishment would always be worse. He didn’t want to go back again, but another part of him feared that their father would make Elizabeth go down too. 

He’s still conflicted as his father drags him down into the basement.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael didn’t die, but neither did his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the support on this story, like..I really really appreciate it. It means so much, thank you. 
> 
> Trigger warnings:  
> -Aggression  
> -Verbal abuse  
> -Tazing  
> -Self hatred  
> -choking  
> -Attempted murder   
> -Slight sexual content

The dumbest decision that he’s ever made, is not just walking right back out of the house. Luckily, he manages to brace himself on the door, forcing William to lose his grip, yet still somehow manage to pull strands of hair with him. Michael’s eyes are open wide in fear, and his sister is behind him, shaking and crying. The man below him glares Mike down, hands clenched into fists. Mike’s lips are parted, panting lightly. He has so much to say, but he can’t get any of it out. 

_“Michael.”_

The way his father says his name sends shivers up his spine. Mike can feel frustration fill him. He _hates_ this entire situation. He _hates_ that Lizzie crying, and he _hates_ himself for what he did to Mari. He hates, hates, _hates_ his dad, himself, and the fact that he’s not being punished for anything. _None of it._

When William grabs a hold of his arm, Michael doesn’t stop himself from slapping his father’s hand roughly. _“Stop!”_ Michael seethes at his father. He can see the slight drawback, before his aggression rises. “I’m so fucking _sick_ of this stupid game!” He snaps. He almost can’t believe how frozen in place his dad is. It’s enough to make him keep talking. He pants heavily from both fear and anger, hand going to his chest. He feels himself grip his shirt tightly, trying so hard not to cry. He’s aware of just how quiet the house is. “I _get_ it, Father! I fucked up, I know. I’m a goddamn disgrace, I make not only you and Lizzie look bad, but Uncle Henry as well! Everyone _hates_ me, and I hate me too! Are you happy? I wish it was _me_ that died, just like everybody else!”

It’s like all sound has disappeared. It’s so _deathly_ quiet. The only thing Mike could hear is his own breathing. The only thing that happened immediately, was the grip that tightened on his shirt from behind. Even Elizabeth’s sobs had ceased. Tears stung at his eyes, and the way his father took a step upwards made his eyes water more, and he shook. Even his legs trembled. Even if he left his dad speechless, it didn’t stop the cold stare. 

“Get down to the basement, Michael.”

His voice is oddly soft. It causes more rage to build up inside of him. “No!” He snaps back. That’s all he gets to do, before his father is digging his thumb into the mark on his neck, pulling his face back close to him once more. “Everyone hates you? This doesn’t seem to be the case.” Michael knows exactly what he’s referring to. “I’d say that you lied, but it’s hard to when everyone won’t stop talking about what you did. How did you seduce them? Did you shake your ass at them? Your mother has a talent for that.” At this, his father grabs a hold of his arm with his other hand, pulling Michael down to the first step. “You’re just like her, after all. You have my looks, but her _vile_ personality.”

Mike can’t stop himself from gripping his fathers arm, trying to fight against him. He can hear the soft pleas of his little sister behind him, begging them to stop fighting, but they won’t. Michael is still shorter than his father, and he lacks both strength and height, because he is easily overpowered. He is yanked foreword, and practically thrown down the stairs. He can hear his name being called, and it takes him a moment to collect his thoughts. He can hear his sister and father arguing, before he hears the slam of the door, and approaching footsteps. He forces himself to crawl away, but is immediately grabbed. He is pinned down onto his back, being forced to look into those cold blue eyes. He wants to throw up, and the urge to be with Jeremy rises. 

He just wants Jeremy. 

Jeremy is all he can think about as pain floods his entire body. He knows he’s screamed the name a few times, begging the blond for help. 

———

When Michael wakes up, he’s still on the basement floor. Everything feels fuzzy and cold. His eyes want to shut, but he tries to force them open, making himself look around. He tries to move his body, but it hurts. Everything hurts. He lets out a muffled cry, making himself move. He can faintly hear the basement door yank open, and small pattering footsteps. He can feel the way small hands roughly shake him, and a voice begging him to get up. He tries to make himself focus long enough to see who it is, but they won’t focus in front of his eyes. He lets out a whimper, forcing himself to push his hands under himself. He’s able to finally get enough strength to force his upper half up off of the floor. The hands take that opportunity to help leverage him up enough to sit back in his knees as he collects himself. 

God, his head hurt so bad. He’s worried he might have a concussion, but he’s not going to go to the hospital to find out either. Everything hurts, and he can feel his body trying to force him back into slumber, but the way he begins to fall forward again, losing any awareness that he had. He’s just _so_ so tired.

“M..ael!”

The hands catch him, forcing him back upright. He’s able to focus his eyes a bit more, and all he sees is green. He squeezes his eyes shut hard, before opening them. He registers the green that he’s seeing as eyes, and his body immediately feels warm. He falls forward again. “J-Jrmm…” he stutters. He can feel the stupid smile that begins to grace his lips as his eyes fall shut. He feels oddly at peace now. He’s amazed at how much power Jeremy has over him. 

“Mi...ey!” 

Michael wishes he wouldn’t worry. Jeremy worries too much, he needs to worry about himself rather than others. But, that’s just one of the things he loves about the blond. He pulls the figure in for a hug, kissing their head stupidly and awkwardly as he’s still rather out of it. “Jmmy yhr uh drk.” He mumbles. The body in his arms easily prys themselves away. Suddenly, his cloud nine seems to fade rapidly. Everything hurt before, but it felt like it increased tenfold. He let out a loud whimper, holding himself, tears flowing from his eyes because of the pain. 

“Mikey!” He finally hears a complete coherent worried voice. He could feel them wiping at his face, before holding him close. He’s suddenly aware how small the figure is, and the smell of vanilla fills his nostrils. “A-Are you going to be o-okay?” The voice sobs, clinging onto him harder. He forced himself to focus, holding the figure in his sore arms closely. He can feel the way they nuzzle his neck, and he pushes his face into their hair. Long, smooth and soft. The voice is small, feminine, and the body in his arms matches the rest. He realizes that it’s his little sister. The urge to shove her away builds up inside of him. He shouldn’t be allowed near her, what if he got her killed too? “I-I was s-so worried!” 

He could feel himself wanting to cry again. He held onto Lizzie tightly, practically curling completely around her just as she did to him. He pushed his face into her hair more. It felt like it had been so long since he got to even show her affection. She reminds him so much of his mother in appearance, and it makes him feel oddly comforted, despite her age. He tries to hold back sobs, and focus on breathing. His body screamed at him, and he’s sure that the open wounds on his back would feel raw by the end of the night. “‘M fine.” He manages to mumble out, hand petting his sister’s head. 

He’s relieved that she doesn’t seem to be hurt. Good. She didn’t deserve to have a hand laid on her. 

“B-But you w-wouldn’t move for s-so long!” She cried, pulling back to look at his face. Her painted nails, the color of the ocean, the ones that Uncle Henry had painted for both her and Charlie cupped his face. Through the dim light, he could see how swollen her eyes were. Sadness fills him. She’s been crying for too long. He hates it. 

“Elizabeth!” A voice seethes from up the basement stairs. The way his sister stiffens makes him hold her close. “How many times did I _tell_ you that you weren’t allowed down here?!” Their father seethes, descending down the stairs. He almost couldn’t believe that the man was even still here. He always left if it was just Michael. 

The whimper that escaped her made rage film him. Michael instinctively began to scoot into the corner of the basement with her in his arms. He made her face the wall, completely enveloping her with his body as much as he could. He didn’t care if he got hurt again. He didn’t care if their father hurting her seemed unlikely. He didn’t care, because all he knew and all he cared about is protecting her, even if he didn’t have to. 

William seemed to stop dead in his tracks upon seeing his son up and around. “You’re still alive?” He asked. The tone he used was enough to tell Michael that the man had suspected he was dead. _“You’re more durable than I thought.”_ William had mumbled the last part, and panic began to eat away at Michael, but he forced himself not to dwell on it. When his father began to walk over to him, Michael squeezed in tighter around his little sister. He could practically feel the way her small heart raced, and her quick breathing coming out in quick bursts of warm air. The way William placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder almost felt condescending. “Elizabeth.” He continued, not speaking to his son, who is very much still alive. “What will you do if he hurts you too?”

Michael had never felt so fed up with anything in his life. He made a shushing motion to his little sister, and the hand on his shoulder tightened. “He’s a monster.” Their father stated with such confidence that Michael could feel his heart crack. “Your mother left because of him, you know? First your mother, then your brother. What am I to do if you are next?”

Michael shushed his sister again, telling her that she didn’t have to say anything. That she didn’t have to worry about any of this. She seemed to fully understand, simply curling in towards his chest more. This created anger. William’s normally patient attitude seemed non existent. Michael could feel the hair in his arms stand tall, seeming to know what was going to happen before he even did. Suddenly, waves of electricity were deposited into his back, causing Michael to spasm and tremble. He could feel worry for his little sister rise immediately. He’s sure that his father gets some sick pleasure out of doing this to him. He can hear the delight in his voice when he deposits more electricity into him. “I’m just saving everyone from him, don’t you know?” He asks. Drool begins to fall from Michael’s mouth, his body quivering. “He’s a monster. Remember the scary monster that Mari said he saw? It’s him. It’s always been Michael. That picture your little brother made, it’s-“

Michael reels back, causing his father to stumble backwards. He’s so _tired_ of being reminded of all of this. He didn’t need that brought up! He-...he knows he’s a monster...the man looking blob that Mari had drawn was him. He overheard him talking to Lizzie one day about it…

_”He’s super tall! He stands over me, a-and- Lizzie he’s so scary!” Mari sobbed gripping the piece of paper tightly. Elizabeth hugged him, trying to take a look._

_“What’s he look like?” She had innocently asked, happy when he handed it over without complaint._

_It’s a drawing of a tall, skinny man. He looked like he was wearing a long sleeveless shirt in the picture, but she wasn’t really sure. She just knew that he looked like the wolf man from movies that she’s seen her older brother watch. Sharp teeth and claws with a fluffy mane. His smirk is big, wide, and toothy. He was drawn in purple. The same color that Mari liked to use when drawing their father scolding Michael, and him with a happy face in the corner._

_“He comes to see you?” She asked worriedly, pulling him back and wiping his face._

_“Almost E-Every night Liz!” Mari cried, sniffling. “H-He always l-looks like he’s gon-gonna hurt me, b-but then just p-pushes me! L-Like he’s toying with me fir-first!”_

“Why you little-!” Their father seethes at him, trying to pry him away from his sister. “Michael, face me now!” William had snapped. This is all so much unlike his father. He can feel a sense of triumph making the man heated and unorganized. He forced himself to stay where he is, and only began to retract when he felt his hair being pulled. The curses and insults that fell past his dad’s lips should never be repeated in front of his little sister. Then again, neither should the taser have been used in front of her either. His cuts flared badly, and he finally unwrapped from around Elizabeth. Even if his father wanted him to in the first place, the older man wasn’t expecting him to do this so fast, and easily caught him off guard. Michael tackled his father to the ground, straddling him. His hands snaked around his father’s neck in an instant, and he began to squeeze. The panic that filled his old man’s eyes sent waves of pleasure up his spine. It felt like a sense of triumph. Like he had finally, _finally_ won. Even the way his hands began to squeeze even tighter made a smile trickle onto his lips. He could feel his father thrashing, clawing, gagging, it all felt so _exhilarating._

“Michael stop!!”

The way his sister screamed in panic made him stop all together. It was enough for his father to knock him off, coughing. Of course, the older man didn’t falter. He used this opportunity to pin Michael down by the back of his neck, other hand holding the teen’s wrists behind his back. “Fucking-“

“Stop! Stop, stop, _stop!!_ ” Lizzie snapped at William as well, making the man hone in on her. The way she was crying. Practically shivering in one place, sniffling grossly. “P-Please stop, father, please!” She cried. 

Michael wanted so badly to go back to what he was doing before. Why did he stop? For what reason had he stopped? He was so close to setting the both of them free, and...he _fucking stopped._

He regrets not squeezing the life out of his dad. 

———

Jeremy was scribbling some math equation, boredom lingering heavily in the air. It may have been a Friday, but he wanted to finish his homework now, and have all of the time to himself later. The day was boring enough, Michael wasn’t at school. Even if he couldn’t actively talk to him, it didn’t stop him from wanting to watch him. They’ve gotten to the point that all he has to do is make motions with his eyes, and Mike understands exactly what he’s saying. The thought causes a smile to slide onto his lips. It’s enough to make him scribble the rest of the answer out, before leaning back and stretching. His parents are already in bed, but they don’t mind if he stays up. As long as he’s quiet, that’s all that matters. Honestly, he’s grateful. 

Jeremy let’s out a hum, unbuttoning the first two buttons on his green button up, and running a hand through his blond locks. He lets out a content sigh, eyes closing, even if it’s just for a moment. His mind wastes no time in drifting back to Michael. The small thought seems to grow more, as he’s suddenly remembering stuff that they had done in the boy’s bathroom yesterday. The way Michael had taken control of the situation, kissing Jeremy with such passion that he felt himself go weak at the knees. The sexual frustration they both had seemed to grow in the short amount of time they started to engage in such activities. While they hadn’t touched each other’s dicks, they rutted against each other enough to make their bodies want something. Just the way Michael makes him orgasm through his pants was hot. 

His collarbone is still littered with little hickies. They aren't anything impressive, Michael isn’t really good at giving hickies. They wouldn’t stay, but just the fact that the taller teen wanted to do this to him is enough to make him want more. They both are terrible, and it made their experiences that much more enjoyable. Even when Michael had grabbed his ass just right, causing the most delicious moan to escape him, which in turn caused Michael to cum a bit too fast is enough to hold a place in Jeremy’s heart. Jeremy had used the situation to his advantage. He giggled lowly, right into Mike’s ear, knowing it did wonders to him based on the shivers he gave. He took the opportunity to push the taller boy away, taking a seat on the toilet. He had used Mike’s belt loops to pull him forward, forcing him to sit on Jeremy’s lap. The flush that seems to spread across Michael’s freckled cheeks made his dick throb. Jeremy had wasted no time in holding his hips down, and grinding up against Mike’s dick. Just the mewl that escaped him from the over stimulation was enough to make him finish fast. 

Jeremy’s body flushed from the thoughts, but his smile grew. He pressed his knuckle against his smirking mouth, taking a deep breath, and slowly releasing. He can’t wait to see Mike again. He..he isn’t sure what all is beyond slight sexual exploits, but he’s sure that it’s something. At first he felt only drawn to the pleasure, but the more he opened himself, the more that he wanted beyond that. 

_Tap..tap..tap.._

Jeremy’s eyes open, and he blinks a few times. His smile is gone, and his hand fell back down to his desk. 

_Tap..tap..tap.._

Jeremy sits upright in his seat, immediately turning around. The smallest of fear fills him, or it did, until he locked eyes with Mike. A grin broke across his face, and he strode over to the window. _“Radical~”_ he sang quietly, excitement filling him at seeing the teen. Mike always had a knack for showing up when he started to feel like this. Such perfect timing. Jeremy swiftly opens his window, stepping back for the boy to come in. “Mike!” He says excitedly, though not loud enough to alert his parents. He watches the tall boy awkwardly climb through, and he doesn’t hesitate to offer a hand. However, the light from his desk lamp illuminates up Michael’s features, and he doesn’t like what he sees. 

His smile fell, and worry began to fill him. He’s seen the teen look bad, but he looked worse than usual. He looked more frail than before, skin white like he’d seen a ghost or something. Jeremy instinctively wrapped an arm around him, other hand cupping his cheek. “Are you okay? What happened?” Jeremy asked, worried when the boy didn’t say a word. Jeremy bit the inside of his lip, helping Mike settle down on the bed. “Mike?” He said again, but softly. He sat down beside the teen, one arm wrapping around his lower back now, free hand petting his head. Jeremy expected a lot of things, but not the tears that began to fall from the boy’s eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael is finally honest with Henry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys make me so happy, and encourage me to keep writing i cry ;w;
> 
> ALSO WOW COMMUNICATION? YES A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP NEEDS THAT THANK YOU JEREMY FOR DOING SO.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS!  
> -Self hate  
> -Implied past abuse  
> -Self deprecating behavior  
> -Slight sexual content

Jeremy held Mike close. The tall boy didn’t hesitate to go into full koala mode, practically wrapping his arms around Jeremy’s abdomen, hands clinging onto the back of his shirt, while his legs were squeezing Jeremy’s hips. He had hidden his face into the crook of Jeremy’s neck, and the blond himself just accepted his fate, putting all of his weight against Mike. One hand managed to squirm its way underneath Michael’s back, and the other pet his head. He could feel the tears that seeped into his shirt, but there ceased to be any sound from Michael. Jeremy isn’t sure what happened exactly, and he has a small suspicion that he may not ever know. That thought actually sort of terrifies him. Maybe he doesn’t deserve to worry about Mike’s safety, wellbeing, and just over all life in general. He is using him for sexual satisfaction, after all. Maybe that’s really all that he is to Mike. Maybe he’s here for comfort, even if it’s that. Jeremy doesn’t really like being the reason that he’s avoiding any problems, but the genuine _want_ just to help Mike simply overtook him. He wants to make Mike happy, even if it’s just because he’s doing this.

He manages to pry Mike off of him, and one glance at his wet and red face sends several pangs of sadness through him. He presses his lips gently against Michael’s right eye, causing the boy’s bottom lip to quiver, a small wail finally ripping past Mike’s throat. Jeremy holds him even closer, wiping his eyes, and just peppering Mike’s face in small gentle kisses. When his tears finally dry up, and he’s reduced to only small sniffles, he finally presses his lips to Michael’s. He wants to treat Mike as gently as possible, and he will. Even if he has to take full control, and force the taller teen to just lie back and take any amount of comfort that he can offer. He wastes no time in stroking Michael’s cheek, tongue poking against Mike’s lips and asking for permission to deepen the kiss. Mike easily gives in, no usual attempt to tease Jeremy present. Jeremy refuses to let that make him falter, and instead pushes his tongue fully inside, licking the roof of Michael’s mouth just the way he likes. “Mmph~” He hears Michael moan. Jeremy takes the opportunity to run his hands down Mike’s sides, before running them across his chest. He wastes no time in massaging and groping Michael’s chest, dragging his nails gently down his chest, brushing his nipples.

Michael pull’s away, jaw stuttering and teeth clacking together. “J-Jeremy!” He gasps out. Jeremy simply presses a kiss to Michael’s jaw, kissing down his neck, suckling lightly here and there. He wastes no time in trying to push Michael’s shirt up, watching the teen blush, and quickly grab it, trying to push it back down. “No!” He whines abruptly, causing the blond to knit his brows, hands pulling away. 

He instead cups Mike’s face. “What’s wrong?” He asks. “I’m so sorry, I’ll stop.” He reassures, worry filling him at potentially making Mike uncomfortable. 

Mike rests his hands on top of Jeremy’s. His expression is full of utter sadness, and Jeremy feels himself wanting to cry almost. “Don’t look,” Mike starts, bottom lip trembling. “It’s vulgar..” the last two words come out in a whisper. Jeremy tries to kiss away his pain. 

“Don’t say that!” He snaps, thumbs caressing Mike’s cheeks. “You’re fine just the way you are.”

Mike shook his head. “I’m a monster..” he says, hand fisting in his shirt. “I’m so vulgar and evil.”

“No, Mike-“

He’s cut off by Michael kissing him roughly. Jeremy whimpers, trying desperately to pull back from the position he’s currently in. He manages to pull back enough to stare into Mike’s blue eyes. “Stop.” He demands, to which the other obeys. Jeremy can’t help but let out a sigh, hands caressing Mike’s face gently. “Why won’t you let me see?” He asks softly, pressing his forehead against Michael’s. “I don’t care if it’s scary, I still want to see..Mike, you’re important to me.” He says, pressing a light kiss to the boy’s lips. The teen underneath him let’s out a whimper, but presses a kiss back. 

Mike closes his eyes, one hand resting on the back of Jeremy’s neck, the other tangled in his blond hair. “...I’m hurt.” He finally says, noticing how Jeremy tenses. He can hear the other try to speak, but he cuts him off. “I’m fine.” He quickly says, before pulling Jeremy back into another kiss. “I’m just not ready to show you.”

Jeremy doesn’t really get how some bruises are worth hiding, but he doesn’t fight it. He whispers an _”Okay. I trust you, Mike.”_ Before simply deciding to show Mike love like he did before. While his clothes stayed on, Jeremy did his best through that. Luckily, he was allowed to unzip Mike’s pants. The tall teen seemed shy about exposing himself, but didn’t stop Jeremy either. The dick before him is hard and flushed red, and honestly, Jeremy has never seen another man’s junk outside of porn. He’s sure that if this were someone else, he’d be disgusted. However, the fact that it’s Michael makes him excited. He’s not afraid to spit into his hand, and start slowly stroking the cock before him. 

He makes sure to treat Michael as gently as possible, and to swallow down any particularly loud moans that escape him by capturing his lips. 

————

When Jeremy’s parents left for work the next morning, Mike forced himself out of bed, ready to depart before Jeremy even woke up. He hadn’t slept completely, but Jeremy’s strong presence helped him sleep a bit. Just as he managed to get out of the bed, blond had yanked him back down. “The point of hanging out is to stay, not leave.” The blond commented, flinging the covers back over Michael. The taller boy grunted, not bothering to fight the situation like he normally would. He simply let Jeremy curl up around him, and he had an arm draped back over him. The blond smiled, pressing a kiss to his clothed chest, before letting his green eyes look up at Michael. “Morning hot stuff!” He said, smiling wide and toothy. Michael is briefly reminded just how much of a dork that Jeremy really is. 

“You’re crazy.” Mike simply states back, making the other hum. 

“Depends on what your definition of crazy is!” Jeremy cooed, before blowing a raspberry into Michael’s chest, causing a squeak to escape the boy. Michael bares his teeth at Jeremy, trying to push him off. The blond simply cackles, holding Mike down, causing a low growl to escape Mike’s throat.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?” Michael seethes at the blond, almost ready to smack the other teen for being a complete idiot. “Are you just stupid, or do you have a thing for killers?”

Jeremy hummed. Michael wanted to bash his own head against a brick wall. “Well, both it seems!”

Yep. He was going to bash his own head against a brick wall, until he could stop hearing the blond be so fucking stupid.

Jeremy simply thinks that this whole situation is hilarious, and easily climbs on top of the angry teen, immediately snaking his fingers all around Mike, tickling him. The most unmanly yelp unleashed itself into Jeremy’s room, before squeaks and giggles erupt past Mike’s lips. “F-Fucking-“ Jeremy has one hand pinning Mike’s left wrist, the other tickling Mike’s neck, causing him to seize up, before switching to his arm pit. “S-Stop!” Michael laughs out, free hand trying to grab Jeremy’s hand. Michael’s smile is wide and obnoxious, and when he finally grabs Jeremy’s free hand, his head falls back against the pillow, and he pants lightly. “Asshole.” He breathes out, trying hard to glare at Jeremy, but failing. 

“It’s yours anytime you want it~” Jeremy teases, earning a snort from Michael. 

“I-“ Jeremy easily cuts him off with a kiss, loving the way Mike easily accepts his fate, and kisses back. 

“You looked beautiful last night.” Jeremy comments, kissing Mike’s cheeks, smiling. The other simply blushes, refusing to look at Jeremy. “Even your moans were beautiful~” The blond cooed, nuzzling Mike’s face. 

“Shut up..” Mike mumbles, a bit too embarrassed. 

“But I like the way you look and sound, Mike. It’s nice.” The blond easily comments, the hand that was captured by Michael moving and lacing their hands together. “I’ve heard you moan before, but not like that.”

“Ugh!” Mike exclaims, trying to turn away, but not exactly unlacing their fingers. “You’re delusional.”

“Delusionally in love!”

Right after Jeremy says that, he presses his other hand against his mouth. He..hadn’t meant to say that. Mike didn’t seem to be looking for anything more than a sex partner. Yet, he can’t play it off either. “Ah, sorry.” He tries, face tinting pink, eyes looking away. 

“You-“ Mike cuts himself off, brows knitting. He looks back towards the ground. “...I think you are delusional, Jeremy.” He comments, shifting uncomfortably. Jeremy feels his heart clench, and he can feel the regret of what he said piling up. While he’s not 100% sure that he loves Mike, he knows enough to say that it’s a form of love. He at least has the right to say it, but... “I’m nothing but trouble for you.” Jeremy looks back at Mike, brows knitted. 

“What?” He asks. 

“I mean,” Mike awkwardly started, shifting. “Liking me leads nowhere but down. I don’t get how you ever could like me.” 

Jeremy feels the urge to slam his head. “Mike!” He exclaims, grabbing Michael’s face in his hands. “How can I _not_ like you? You’re literally the most beautiful guy I’ve ever met!” 

Mike gives a disgusted look. “I think you’re blind, because last time I checked, I’m disgusting.” He counters. 

“And I think you’re an idiot, because the last time I checked, you already stole my heart.”

At this comment, a flush spreads across Mike’s cheeks. “...You really like me?” Mike asks, voice small. Jeremy could see the confliction in his expression. He pulled Mike close, hugging him and kissing his head. 

“I like you enough to say that it’s something, dude!” Jeremy smiled, nuzzling Mike. The other’s face easily heated up, and a shiver overcame him. “Can’t say I know when it started, but I do like you, Mike. I was actually worried that you only wanted sex..”

Michael snorted. “I don’t get horny on command, dipshit. I’m not just gonna go fuck random people, I’m not like that.”

“So you don’t just casually get morning wood?” Jeremy asked in a teasing tone. 

“Fuck you.” 

“Anytime~”

Michael rolled his eyes, trying to stop the smirk that wanted to appear. He only half failed, but Jeremy knew exactly what the wobbling lip gesture meant. “To answer your question, Fitzgerald, no, I actually don’t.” Mike admitted. “My sex drive is rather dry. You and..someone else...are the only ones to have made it even remotely interested.”

Jeremy hummed. He’s a bit surprised at the lack of sexual urge that Michael has. He’s seen nothing but raging teenage hormones when they’ve messed around. “So,” he starts, pulling back and lying down on Mike’s chest. “Who was the other? Did you lose your virginity to them?” He asked, curiosity peaked. 

“Why do you want to know?” Michael countered, hand going to rest on Jeremy’s neck. 

“Just curious!” Jeremy gave the other a wide toothy grin, causing Mike to sigh, fingers massaging Jeremy’s neck and scalp. 

“If you really _must_ know, it was Gabe.” Michael looked away. “And no, we didn’t have sex. In fact, he never knew about my feelings.” Jeremy opened his mouth to comment, only to shut it again, causing Michael’s heart to speed up a bit. “A-And besides!” He started back up, nose up in the air. “My feelings died a long time ago! Plus you’re way better than him anyway.”

Jeremy snorted, rubbing his hand across Mike’s chest. “You’re cute.” He commented, causing Mike to sputter. “I really like you, Michael. You’re really kind, more so than you realize.”

Mike didn’t know what to say. But, if he couldn’t say it with words, he could through actions. He ruffled Jeremy’s hair, smiling softly down at him. The blond always manages to make him feel at ease. 

————

Henry ruffles Mike’s hair affectionately, taking a seat beside him on the couch. He was handed a mug of hot cocoa, receiving a pat on the shoulder. Mike wished that he could have stayed at Jeremy’s longer, but it would be a bit weird if he didn’t go back to Henry’s. Especially since their father was pronounced _’More busy than usual’_ Sometimes Mike wonders if Henry ever notices anything going on, or if his father actually hides it as well as he hopes that he does. 

“Did you have fun with your dad, kiddo?” The older man asks, taking a drink of his own cup of cocoa. 

Michael shrugged. He didn’t really know what to say. Plus Henry’s known him long enough to know when he lies. “A little.” He decides to admit, though it was mostly because of his little sister. 

“Lizzie said that the both of you played together.” Henry comments, brows knitted together. 

“We did, it was nice.” This comment brings a smile to Henry’s face. “I spent time with Father too, but it was awkward.”

Henry hummed. “I’m sure it was. He’s...a bit eccentric. Not many got along with him in college.” He sipped at his drink more. “But he’s a good man, deep down.”

“..Right.” 

Michael can feel sweat beading on his forehead, but he continues the way he’s been, and takes his own drink. He can feel Henry’s eyes on him, and he takes a peak at the man from the corner of his eye. “Lizzie said that you went to hang out with a friend late last night.” Henry decides to comment, looking back towards the television now. “Was it the boy from before?” He asks. 

Michael immediately feels conflicted. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Henry, but the man is being too kind. He’s too good at being a father, that he’s unaware of the consequences that follow when he tells his father all that’s going on. He doesn’t want to say, but...what are the odds that he actually can make friends? Jeremy was already enough of a surprise, and now they are sort of dating. They didn’t really confirm, confirm, but it’s still something. He knows that if he lies, Henry will know. The man has known him since he was an infant. Yet, if he tells him, his father will soon know. He already does, but his limited knowledge shouldn’t extend more than it does. 

He instead scoffed, sipping more at his drink. “Of course not.” He says, trying to not acknowledge the soft eyes on him. “That kid wants nothing to do with me, just like everybody else.” He says, only to have a hand reach out from his opposite side, resting on his cheek and chin. Michael stiffens, fight or flight instincts kicking in, and he’s about to elbow the person holding onto him, even if his mind tells him that it’s just Uncle Henry. 

He’s able to relax when he feels the hand rub against his skin affectionately. He deflates, and as he does, the hair ruffles his hair, before resting on his shoulder. He watches Henry set his cup on the side table, before gently poking Michael’s neck. The smile makes him anxious. “Well, some _friend_ they are, Mike. You’ve been getting real close I see.” The hand that had previously poked him, left to return to the owner’s side. “I can’t tell you not to have fun, especially at your age.” He hears Henry say, and he can feel a blush rising to his cheeks in embarrassment. “I just want you to use safety. I can get you what you need, I promise I won’t tell your dad. I think he’d freak out right now.”

Michael sputters, face darkening, and Henry laughs, ruffling his hair more. “I remember being your age, Mike! I tried to woo my wife all through high school. She finally said yes, and I thought _‘Henry, you crazy son of bitch, you finally did it!’_ and before I knew it, she ended up dragging me away, feigning a stomach ache. We went back to her house, and she showed me just how strong a woman can be.” Michael wanted so badly to not hear about Uncle Henry’s adventures with Aunt Lauren, but his mouth just wouldn’t open due to the fact that he got caught with hickies above the neck of his shirt. He wanted so badly to slap Jeremy across the face, but another part of him wanted to wear them proudly. Some stupid teenager thing, he guesses. “So, who is she?”

“What?” Michael dumbly asks, feeling Henry’s fingers drum against his shoulder. “The girl you’re seeing! You’ve been so down, and always alone, I was getting worried.”

Fuck-

“N-No, no, it’s not like that!” He tried to defend. “He- I mean-!”

“So it _is_ the boy from before.” Henry stated like it was a fact, and well, fine. Whatever, he’s correct. 

Mike’s heart is pounding out of his chest. “B-But, I, I-I mean-“ he cut himself off, not registering Henry gently grabbing his cup and sitting it down for him. 

“Michael, it’s okay.” Mike deflates finally, going quiet. He looks up at Henry, brows knitted in worry. Henry simply smiles at him, and pats his shoulder. “Who you love doesn’t change anything, Mikey. You’re still Mike to me, and I love you.”

And Mike always dreamt of his father just stopping all unnecessary anger towards him, and just holding him like Henry is, and just saying cheesy bullshit like this. It’s never going to happen. “U-Uncle Henry…” he starts up, but trails off, eyes burning. He wasn’t expecting to cry more, but then again he wasn’t expecting to lose all cool that he has in the first place. Two days in a row is pushing it. His bottom lip quivers and he looks away. He feels like curling in on himself. He wants too so bad, he just “Please,” he sobs, pulling his knees up to his chest hiding his face. “P-Please, please don’t tell f-father, p-please!” He sobs. He knows that he’s confusing the man and making him worry, but not lying for once felt like such a relief. Something that he hasn’t had in a while when talking to the man beside him.


End file.
